Leonardo shook the reins. The white horse cloppedout of the courtyard and into the street.
"So where are we going?" Annie asked.
"To a steep hill just outside the city walls," saidLeonardo. "One day you will tell people that youwere with me on this historic Monday. You saw themad genius, Leonardo da Vinci, and his Great Bird!""Cool, but can you tell us exactly what you'replanning to do?" said Jack.
"For twenty-five years, I have sketched birds81and bats," said Leonardo. "I have studied all theirmovements, their gliding, their flapping, theirlanding, and their rising into the air. I have askedmyself over and over,Why can a person not fly as birds do?
So, years ago I began building my Great Bird.""Your Great Bird?" asked Annie.
"Ha-ha!" laughed Leonardo. "Wait and see! Waitand see!"The horse pulled the cart through the city gates,heading into the countryside. The chilly air waswarmed by bright sunlight.
Leonardo tugged on the reins and his horse turnedoff the main road and started up a narrow, rockypath. The cart bumped past pale green olive trees andyellow fields of wildflowers. Soon it came to thebottom of a steep hill.
Leonardo pulled the reins and his horse halted.
"There! Can you see it?" he said. "My Great Bird." Hepointed to a strange-looking structure on the top ofthe hill.
82"What is it?" asked Jack.
"The wings are like those of a bat, only much, muchlarger-large enough for a man!" said Leonardo.
"About a month ago on a moonlit night, myapprentices and I brought it to the top of this hill. Idid not have the confidence to try it then, but now Ido."Jack was confused. He knew people didn't flyairplanes until the beginning of the 1900s. "Ummaybeyou should work on this one a little longer,"he said. "I mean, maybe-""No, no, today is the day! I feel it!" said Leonardo.
"Stay here and watch."Leonardo leapt down from the cart and took longstrides up the steep slope.
"Quick, look up Great Bird in the Leonardo book,"Annie said to Jack.
Jack pulled out their research book and looked upGreat Bird in the index. "It's here!" he said. He foundthe right page and read aloud:
Leonardo da Vinci spent years making a flyingmachine that he called the Great Bird. But not untilthe invention of lightweight motors, nearly 400 yearsafter Leonardo's time, would human flight bepossible. It is not known whether Leonardo ever triedto fly the Great Bird. If he did, he surely crashed.
"Oh, no!" said Annie. "His machine won't work! IfLeonardo tries to fly off that hilltop, he'll crash. Wehave to stop him before he hurts himself!"Annie jumped out of the cart. Jack put the bookaway. He left his bag in the cart and ran after her.
They started up the steep hill.
"Leonardo, stop!" shouted Annie. But Leonardo keptclimbing.
"Human flight isn't possible yet!" Jack cried.
"Don't try it, Leonardo!" yelled Annie.
Jack and Annie were only halfway up the hill whenLeonardo reached the top. He began strapping himselfinto a harness on the Great Bird.
84Large handles were attached to the harness. Oneach side were huge cloth wings stretched over awooden frame.
"Don't!" shouted Jack.
But Leonardo was already staggering toward theedge of the steep hill with the flying machine on hisback. It was so heavy that he could hardly stand up.
"Leonardo, stop!" cried Annie. "You need a motor!"But Leonardo bent his legs and lowered his bodyclose to the ground. He grabbed the two large handlesand pulled them toward his chest. The huge wingsrose into the air.
"The Great Bird raises its wings and is pushed bythe wind!" shouted Leonardo. "Noooo!" yelled Jackand Annie.
Leonardo leapt off the side of the hill into the air. Agust of wind lifted him. As the wind held his wingsaloft, he pushed and pulled on the handles. The wingsmoved up and down.
86But Leonardo couldn't make the wings flap fastenough. Though he pushed and pulled wildly on thehandles, he soon began falling through the air-untilwings and wood and Leonardo all crashed to theground.
"Leonardo!" yelled Annie.
Jack and Annie charged down the hill. At thebottom, Leonardo da Vinci lay in a silent heap. Histwisted wings spread over the grass. Jack and Annierushed to him.
"Are you all right?" cried Annie. There was noanswer.
Oh, no! We've killed him! thought Jack.
But then Leonardo stirred. He moved his hand.
"Are you all right?" Annie asked again. Leonardomoved his other hand. He rolled over on his side andunbuckled the straps of the harness. He crawled awayfrom the flying machine and hauled himself to asitting position. His face was scraped and red.
"Are you all right?" Annie asked once more.
Leonardo looked at her. The light had gone out ofhis eyes. "No," he said in a quiet voice. "I am not allright.""Did you break something?" asked Annie. Leonardostood up. He stared at the twisted and torn wings ofthe Great Bird. He sighed deeply. "Only my heart," hesaid. "Only my heart."Leonardo turned and limped across the grass backtoward his horse and cart. Jack and Annie followed.
When Leonardo got to the cart, his white horsesnorted, as if trying to comfort him. Leonardo pressedhis head against the horse's neck.
Annie stepped toward him. "Why is your heartbroken, Leonardo?" she asked quietly.
Leonardo looked back at the hill. "All my life, Ihave started project's that have come to nothing," hesaid. "My towers and bridges have never been built.
My scientific ideas have never been proven."88"But-" said Annie.
Leonardo went on: "For years, I made drawings ofan enormous horse I planned to sculpt for the Duke ofMilan. But in the end, that work came to nothing, too.
I have finished only a few paintings. I cannot evenfinish my favorite one, a portrait of a lovely lady ofFlorence. Today my fresco in the hall of the greatcouncil was ruined. But always, in spite of all myfailures, one thing brought me comfort.""What?" asked Jack.
"I knew someday I would be the first person in theworld to fly," said Leonardo. His voice quavered.
"Talking with the two of you, I knew the time hadfinally come to test my machine.""We're sorry," said Annie.
"No, no, I had to test it sooner or later," saidLeonardo. "But now that dream, too, has come tonothing. I will never achieve fame by flying. I willnever fly." He hung his head and stared at theground. "I shall go home now. I shall burn all my89notebooks and my unfinished paintings andinventions. I shall leave Florence and never return.""Oh, no!" said Jack.
"Wait a minute," said Annie. "You will fly.""Annie," Jack warned. Since the machine would neverwork, he didn't want her to give Leonardo false hope.
"Youaregoing to fly, Leonardo," said Annie. "And you'regoing to love it.""Annie, human flight isn't possible at this time inhistory!" Jack whispered to Annie. "A person needs amotor. We don't have a motor."But Annie paid no attention. "Hold on, everyone,"she said. "I have to get something." She climbed intothe cart and reached into Jack's bag.
When Annie turned back around, Jack gasped. Hehad forgotten all about the Wand of Dianthus. |