At first no one spoke on the trip back. It was as ifthey didn't want to break the spell of joy that hadsettled over them. Even though Jack was bumping upand down in the cart, he could still remember thefeeling of flying smoothly through the sky. He couldfeel the wind rustling his long feathers.
The cart passed through a gate in the city walls. Asthey started through the streets, Annie broke thesilence. "So if fame is not the secret of happiness," shesaid to Leonardo, "then what is? Do you think it couldbeflying?"102Leonardo thought for a moment. "No, no. Thesecret of happiness cannot be flying," he said.
"Why not?" asked Jack.
"Because flying is a great dream that no one but uswill ever realize," said Leonardo. "Surely happinesscannot be only forus.""True," said Annie.
"So what do you think the secret is?" asked Jack.
"Hmm..." Leonardo was silent. Then he sighed. "Imust think about it," he said.
Jack looked worriedly at the sky. The sun would godown soon and night would come. According to theirrhyme, they were supposed to leave when the nightbird sang its song. "Um...how long do you think it'lltake you to think about it?" Jack asked.
"I do not know," said Leonardo. "Right now all Iknow is that I must hurry to meet with my model.
She is already unhappy enough without my beinglate."103"Why is she unhappy?" asked Annie.
"She will not say," said Leonardo. "Perhaps she istired of posing for me. For three years, she has beensitting for her portrait.""Whoa, that's a really long time," said Annie,"especially if you're just sitting.""Yes, yes, it is," said Leonardo. "Lately she will noteven smile. She only stares at me sadly. I have triedhiring singers, musicians, and jokesters to amuse her,but nothing helps.""Maybe you shouldn't meet with her today," saidJack. He didn't want Leonardo to lose his goodfeelings from flying. And he wanted him to spendtime thinking about the secret of happiness.
"No, I must," said Leonardo. "The light is perfecttoday. Late afternoon is the best time for painting aportrait-in my courtyard, when the sunlight is golden,and shadows are beginning to fall."Shadows were falling as the white horse pulled thecart into Leonardo's courtyard. A young woman wasstanding by the studio door.
104"Lisa!" called Leonardo.
"Hello, Leonardo," the woman said. She wore a darkgown with a silk cloth over her shoulder. A thin veilcovered her long brown hair. She had a high foreheadand large brown eyes. Oddly, she looked likesomeone Jack knew, but he couldn't remember who.
"Forgive me, Lisa. I am late," said Leonardo, leapingdown from the cart. "Will you wait for me to set upmy things?""Yes, I will wait," said Lisa.
Leonardo hurried inside, and Jack and Annieclimbed down from the cart. "Hi, we're Annie andJack," said Annie.
The woman smiled at them. "I am Lisa," she said.
"You look familiar to me," said Annie.
"Really?" said Lisa. "Are you from Florence?""No, we're from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania," saidAnnie. "It's far away."Lisa smiled again. "I like the name of your town,"she said.
105So Lisadidsmile for other people, thought Jack. He wonderedwhy she wouldn't smile for Leonardo.
Leonardo came back outside, carrying a smallcanvas, an easel, and a paint box. He then broughtout a stool for Lisa. She sat down and folded herhands.
Leonardo placed the canvas on his easel. As heprepared his paints, Jack and Annie looked at hispainting-in-progress.
"Nice," breathed Annie.
The small canvas showed the model, Lisa. Exceptfor her mouth, her whole face had been painted. Inthe background was a misty landscape withmountains and winding rivers.
Leonardo picked up his brush, dipped it into a paintjar, and began to work. Jack and Annie watchedclosely as the great genius brushed a thin coat ofgreen paint over the scenery.
"What are you doing now?" whispered Annie.
"I paint many very thin coats over the background,"murmured Leonardo. "This casts a soft106green light over everything. So it all blendstogether like smoke, and you cannot tell light fromshadow."107"How'd you figure that out?" asked Annie. "I mean,you're always coming up with new ways to do things.
How do you do that?""I ask questions," said Leonardo. "All the time, I askquestions: How can I paint the light? How can Icapture the shadows? How can I do this? How can Ido that?" Leonardo stopped painting. He put down hisbrush and looked at Jack and Annie. His eyes weresparkling. "And now, my friends, I know the secret.""You do?" said Jack.
"Yes," said Leonardo. "The secret of happiness isavailable toallof us,everyhour ofeveryday. Young, old, rich, poor-everyonecan choose to find happiness in this way.""How?" asked Annie. "What's the secret?"She and Jack leaned forward, eager to hear theanswer.
"Curiosity," said Leonardo.
108"Curiosity?" repeated Jack. He had curiosity. He hadlots of it.
"Always ask questions," said Leonardo. "Always tryto learn something new. Ask: Why? When? Where?
What? Say: `I wonder what this means.' `I wonderhow that works.' `I wonder what this person is like.
And that person. And that one.' I am alwayssearching for answers to things I do not understand.""Me too!" said Jack.
"And so I look forward to each new day, eachspring and summer and fall and winter, and all themonths and years ahead, because there is so much todiscover," said Leonardo.
"Me too!" said Annie.
"Through my curiosity, I forget my failures andsorrows, and I feel great happiness," said Leonardo.
He looked up at the sky. "For instance, one mightwonder how they built that eightsided dome on top ofthe cathedral.""I do wonder that!" said Jack.
109"And I wonder-what exactly makes the cloudschange shape?" said Annie.
"And-and what makes bread crackly on the outsideand soft on the inside?" asked Jack.
"Are there really just ten types of noses?" saidAnnie.
"How many kinds of ears are there?" said Jack.
"How many kinds of feet?""Hands!" said Annie.
"Eyebrows!" said Jack.
Their two voices spilled over each other as theykept calling out questions: "And who rings the bells inthe bell tower?" "Why is the sky blue?" "Where docity birds sleep?""AND WHY WON'T LISA SMILE FORLEONARDO?" asked Annie.
Jack and Leonardo looked at Annie. Then they allturned and looked at Lisa. Jack had actually forgottenshe was sitting near them.
The quiet, lovely woman blinked. "What?" she said.
"What did you say?"110"Why won't you smile for Leonardo, Lisa?" askedAnnie. "Are you mad at him because you've beenposing for three years?"Lisa's face grew red. She seemed to be fightingtears. She shook her head.
"Is-is there another reason?" Annie asked softly.
Lisa looked at Leonardo. He was staring back ather. "Yes," she whispered. "There is.""What is it?" Annie asked.
"I am afraid to smile," said Lisa. She kept staring atLeonardo, though she was talking to Annie. "If Ismile, Leonardo will paint my smile, and he will bedone with me. He will sell my portrait to my familyand never think of me again."There was silence for a moment. Jack and Annielooked at Leonardo. "Annie," said Leonardo finally,staring at Lisa. "Tell Lisa that if she will smile, Iwillfinish her portrait. But tell her that Iwill notsell it to her family. I will carry it111with me wherever I go, for the rest of my life, and Iwill never forget her.""Lisa, Leonardo says that-" started Annie.
But Lisa stopped her. "I heard," she said softly. Thenshe smiled. It was a faint smile, but a mysterious andbeautiful one. Her face glowed in the golden light oflate afternoon.
"Ah!" gasped Leonardo. "Keep that smile," he said.
He kept staring at Lisa as he dipped his paintbrushinto a jar. "Please! Keep that smile, Mona Lisa."Mona Lisa? Jack had heard the name Mona Lisa before.
Lisa kept smiling. Leonardo painted. "Hey, listen,"Annie said to Jack.
Jack listened. He heard a bird whistling and trilling.
A plain brown bird was singing from the rooftopabove the courtyard.
"That looks like the bird you let out of the cage,"said Jack.
"Itishim!" whispered Annie.
"He is a nightingale," said Leonardo, keeping hiseyes on Lisa. "A beautiful singer, yes?"Annie smiled at Jack. "Time to go," she said.
"Remember Morgan's rhyme-help the genius`Till the night bird sings its song."'
"Right," said Jack, sighing. "Good-bye, Leonardo."Leonardo didn't seem to hear him.
"Good-bye, Lisa," said Annie.
Lisa turned her eyes to look at Jack and Annie.
"Bye," she whispered.
Then Leonardo turned and looked at them, too.
"Yes, good-bye, my friends!" he said. "Come againsoon, please! You have been a great help to me today.""You helped us, too," said Annie.
Leonardo bowed to them. Then he turned back tohis work. He painted Lisa's smile as the nightingalesang on. The bird's song grew louder and louder, untilit seemed to fill the Florence night. |