Secret Scouts and The Lost Leonardo

by Mr.

  “At least we have the entire back row to ourselves, so for now let’s just relax and enjoy the ride,” Jack said, smiling as casually as possible but still looking a bit worried to say the least.

  Friday, June 27th, morning

  The bus slowed down and pulled into in a large parking lot.

  Mr. Hackett, who was sitting up front, grabbed the microphone. It made a low popping sound when he tapped it with his finger in an attempt to get everyone’s attention.

  The entire class was woken by the dull thumps reverberating around the bus.

  “Buon Giorno! Good morning! Welcome to Venice!” Hackett’s shrill voice blared from the speakers.

  As Hackett walked them through the schedule for the day, Jack squinted his eyes and looked out the window. Still tired, he rubbed his eyes and slid over to sit next to Sophie. Before he could even say a word, she held her finger demonstratively to her lips to indicate she was listening to what Hackett was saying. They were first going to transfer to a waterbus that would take them to their hotel. In the afternoon, after lunch, they would visit a museum. After dinner everyone would retire to their own rooms, which they’d be sharing with a classmate.

  Sophie divided the schedule up into mini pieces and visually compartmentalized each piece in her head. Tonight would probably be the best time to sneak away and attempt to reach Poveglia. Hopefully, they could slip away unnoticed when everyone went to their rooms. She took a deep breath at the thought of what awaited them.

  As if reading her thoughts, Jack patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. “We’ll go get your stuff tonight, it’ll be okay. But first…” he excitedly fist-bumped her, “…first Venice. Awesome!”

  Hackett’s voice was still blaring from the speakers. “For now, I hope you have an amazing school trip, a trip you’ll remember for the rest of your lives!” Everyone on the bus started clapping and cheering.

  Jack leaned in towards Sophie. “You and I will definitely remember this trip for the rest of our lives,” he chuckled.

  Hackett marched busily back and forth, checking to make sure all the students were on the boat. Once he was convinced they were, he gave the captain a sign that they were good to go. The engine started with a noisy growl and the boat pulled away slowly. Rolling slightly on the waves, they steered towards Venice.

  Sophie listened to the water lapping against the side of the boat. She tried to memorize as many details as possible so that later, in the dark, she’d have a few points of reference. She was looking out over the water together with Jack when Hackett suddenly appeared behind them.

  “Extraordinary, isn’t it? ” he said, taking in the view, too. “There are dozens of islands in the lagoon, of which Venice is the most famous.”

  Jack nodded without saying anything, but Sophie seized the opportunity to pry some valuable information out of Hackett. “That’s Venice over there on the right,” she said. “I recognize some of the buildings, but those islands off to the left, which ones are those?” She tried her best to sound as upbeat and friendly as possible.

  “That one there,” Hackett said, pointing to a large island, “that is San Clemente, a private island with a hotel and a resort. And that small one nearer to us is La Grazia. It was once a dump, and there used to be a hospital there once for people with contagious diseases.”

  Sophie felt a shiver run down her spine. La Grazia sounded like another island she would prefer to avoid.

  “And that one?” asked Jack, who understood the reason behind Sophie’s sudden interest.

  Hackett looked at them surprised. “You kids have been very inquisitive lately, and here you are again asking more questions. That’s great, this eagerness to learn.”

  Jack and Sophie nodded in agreement and smiled their biggest smiles, hoping this would help deter Hackett from asking any difficult questions himself.

  “You mean that tiny island?” Hackett continued eagerly. “That tiny island to the left behind San Clemente... I’ve forgotten its name, but it’s rather boring. It has a few buildings and a harbor for boats, but there’s not much to do there. Once it was a beautiful retreat for wealthy families. Or do you mean that large island to the right of San Clemente? If that’s the one you mean, well, that’s a relatively new island, it’s only been there for about 150 years...”

  Sophie was annoyed that she still didn’t know which island was Poveglia. She only knew which four weren’t. They had just passed three more relatively close islands, and there was one more off in the distance. She guessed it was the last one. Knowing her luck, Poveglia would probably be the farthest one away. “And that island way back there?” she asked. “Which island is that?”

  “That one’s haunted!” Hackett said, dead serious.

  Jack and Sophie held their breaths simultaneously.

  “How do you mean?” Sophie asked tensely.

  “That’s Poveglia, no one would want to go there. In fact, no one is allowed to go there anymore. It’s completely off limits. Here’s the thing…”

  Sophie was no longer listening. Mission accomplished, she now knew which island they had to go to. “Are we nearly there?” she suddenly asked.

  Hackett turned around. “Uh…yeah,” he said, before going off to give the captain a few last instructions.

  “I knew it,” Sophie said, shaking her head, “the farthest away! Of course it is! You’d think things would go my way for once,” she grumbled. “Jack, remember which island it is.” Sophie said, sounding very serious. “It’s the farthest island, and the one with the tower you can see from here.”

  She was taken aback by the sound of her own words. “Oh no, that tower. I bet it’s the one the mad doctor threw himself off all those years ago.”

  Jack was relieved when the boat bumped against a buoy and came to a halt. It broke the tension. After docking, everyone stepped onto the quay. Sophie and Jack were the last to climb out of the boat, and they trundled along at a casual pace behind the rest of the class.

  Hackett caught up to Jack and Sophie. He was delighted by the enthusiasm they had both been showing recently. He began a conversation again for no particular reason. “You’re not going to believe this, but we had actually reserved a cheap hostel for the class, until last week we got an unexpected phone call...”

  “Really? And?” asked Jack, feeling a bit ragged from the boat trip.

  “Yes, a phone call!” Hackett said, “From the Hotel Cipriani! Someone has made an anonymous reservation for us and paid for everything!” He looked at them elated.

  “What’s so special about that?” Sophie asked.

  “Hotel Cipriani is the most exclusive hotel in Venice! We were actually planning to stay in a very basic place, but someone – probably one of the students’ parents – made an anonymous reservation for the entire class at the most luxurious hotel in town. Isn’t that just fantastic?”

  “Wow!” whooped Jack. Never in his life had he stepped foot inside a luxury hotel. This was the best news they had heard all day.

  “This is our hotel!” Hackett called, running up to the front of the group to herd everyone inside.

  “Awesome, isn’t it? A super luxurious hotel!” said Jack upbeat. He looked around with an enormous grin on his face, cooing in delight.

  Sophie had to admit the announcement was a pleasant surprise. She lifted her right hand to massage the muscle between her neck and shoulder to ease the tension she had been feeling.

  “Please form pairs and then give your names to the reception desk. Once you have your key you can go to your hotel room, freshen up, and then we’ll meet down here in the lobby at noon.” Hackett’s eyes were lit up with enthusiasm.

  He picked up his bag and, key in hand, was the first to head up to his room.

  After all the other students had paired up and collected their keys, Jack and Sophie stepped forward to get theirs. Sophie started using her hands and waving her arms in an attempt to communicate with the receptionist.

  “It’s okay, I speak several lan
guages, so you can speak your native tongue if that’s easier for you,” the receptionist told her with a friendly smile.

  “Oh, cool!” Sophie said happily before continuing. “Uh, we need a key. Sophie and…”

  “Jack,” the woman said. “Your name’s right here. Yes… yes…” She nodded again as she read the remarks next to their reservation. “Yes… okay,” she said quietly to herself before turning back to Sophie and Jack.

  “Right now you’re standing in the Palazzo Vendramin, which is a separate wing of the Hotel Cipriani. The hotel itself is around the corner. Your teacher and classmates are all sleeping here, but it says here that all the rooms in the Palazzo are full...”

  “What?” Jack sounded super disappointed. There was no way he was going to end up sleeping in a hostel.

  The friendly receptionist nodded. “No problem. It also says here that two rooms have been booked for you in the actual hotel, in the Hotel Cipriani. That’s just a short walk through the courtyard.”

  “Much better!” Sophie said without meaning to. “So we’re the only ones in our class who are sleeping in that wing?”

  “That’s right. Your classmates have already taken the Palazzo’s 16 rooms. Unfortunately, we were two rooms short in this wing, but everything has been taken care of.” She gave them both a wink.

  “And don’t worry, you may be a bit farther away, but you have the best view from your rooms. Can I be of any further service to you?” She waited for them to say something. “Come with me, I’ll bring you to your suites.” Full of purpose, she walked out from behind the front desk and ushered them towards the exit.

  Feeling very chirpy now, Jack and Sophie followed her through the flower-filled hall out into the beautiful courtyard. Jack’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as they walked past the Olympic-sized swimming pool.

  “This is the only swimming pool in the center of Venice. It’s filtered seawater and is heated all year round. If you want to…” The receptionist gestured invitingly towards the pool.

  When they got to their floor she stopped and opened one door for Sophie while pointing to another one down the corridor.

  “That’s yours,” she told Jack. “A door inside connects the two rooms. When you open it you have the entire Palladio Suite at your disposal...” She stood away politely from the door and let Jack and Sophie in first.

  Jack’s mouth fell open in amazement. “I’ve never seen anything like this… this is awesome!”

  Even Sophie looked astounded. She’d never seen so much luxury in one place.

  “Oh… by the way, did I mention… the Palladio suit comes with a private boat with its own skipper. He can take you wherever you’d like to go.” The woman made it sound like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Are we allowed to take the boat out ourselves?” asked Sophie.

  The woman shook her head. “The skipper will take you anywhere you like. Lots of movie stars and other famous people stay here. The hotel is famous for its discretion.”

  “Nine o’clock,” Sophie said. “We would like to use the boat at nine o’clock this evening. We’ll be done dining with our classmates by then and it won’t be completely dark, right Jack?” Jack nodded.

  “Is that possible?” Sophie asked boldly.

  The woman nodded politely again. “I’ll make sure the boat is waiting for you at nine o’clock,” she said as she walked over to one of the windows. “Over there,” she continued, pointing to a spot on the quay, “that’s where you can get the boat.”

  “Thank you,” said Jack and Sophie in unison.

  “No thanks necessary. Enjoy your stay in Venice!” She nodded again and silently left the room.

  “Sick!” Jack said as he ran around the enormous suite, his sneakers making a funny squeaking sound on the marble floor. The room felt like a glass capsule towering above the water. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered panoramic views of the lagoon.

  Sophie walked to the side of the suite with the best view over the water. She closed one eye and looked through the large telescope standing before the window on a tripod. She slowly moved it around until she found what she was looking for and gently adjusted the lens until the image was sharp.

  “Poveglia,” she said with a little shudder.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” called Jack as he ran back to the bathroom in his own suite.

  “Wow!” he yelled. “Everything’s marble! Unbelievable!”

  “Really?” cried Sophie, stepping away from the telescope and smiling again. She tried to forget about Poveglia and relaxed her shoulders. She walked to her own bathroom where she found a basket full of bottles filled with shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and bath foam. She filled the bath, sniffed every single item, and dumped two entire bottles of foam into the tub.

  The students sat on the waterbus’s benches enjoying their sandwiches. The boat traveled at a leisurely pace through the Canal Grande, the long S-shaped canal that runs through the center of Venice.

  Hackett stood up as they approached a special bridge. “Guys,” he shouted, trying to get everyone’s attention. “Pay attention, we’re about to pass under the world-famous Rialto Bridge. It was built at the end of the 16th century. And over there, that’s the Galleria dell’Accademia, home to the original Leonardo da Vinci sketch The Vitruvian Man. I was hoping that after last week’s lesson, in which we discussed Leonardo da Vinci, we could go see the sketch, but unfortunately that’s not possible. The drawing is extremely fragile and is seldom shown to the public.”

  Hackett was surprised to hear a few groans of disappointment coming from the back of the boat.

  Encouraged by the students’ interest in the sketch, Hackett suddenly thought of something. He leaned over to the captain and asked him a question. The man reached into his pocket and handed Hackett a Euro coin. “Have a look at this.” Hackett passed around the coin. “On the reverse side of the Italian euro is The Vitruvian Man, Leonardo’s most famous drawing.”

  During the cruise, Hackett continued to talk about the interesting locations they were passing – hotels where famous movies had been filmed, the San Marco Square, and various historic buildings. The boat made a wide turn and re-entered the broad canal.

  “This is our stop. Let’s go, everyone off, and head for the entrance,” Hackett commanded the group. He ushered everyone towards the entrance of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, one of Italy’s most important museums of modern art.

  The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, painted around 1490, is kept in Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice and displayed to the public only on very rare occasions. With arms outstretched, the man fills the irreconcilable spaces of a circle and a square.

  Once inside, the students were allowed to explore the artworks on their own. Jack and Sophie went into the first gallery.

  “Aren’t these the things that hang above babies’ beds,” Jack said mockingly.

  Sophie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “Those are mobiles and yes, they’re similar to the things you hang over a crib. But these hanging mobiles are world famous. They’re by Alexander Calder...” She smiled apologetically. “That’s what happens when your father is an art historian.”

  “Shall I be your guide?” she asked in a posh voice.

  Jack had to laugh, but he nodded. “Okay, sure.”

  Looking around, Sophie didn’t recognize most of the art, but there was one work she was familiar with. She walked towards a painting of four large white flowers. She stood up straight and said in an aristocratic tone: “This is by Andy Warhol, maybe you know the name?”

  Jack nodded. “That’s the guy with the cans of soup, right?”

  Sophie smiled. “You see, you recognize it too. Come on, let’s get out of here. I don’t really know any of the other paintings in here either.”

  They strolled through the rooms for a while, stopping every now and then at an artwork that caught their attention, until Jack suddenly looked at his watch.

  �
�We’ve got to go, the boat’s about to leave for the hotel. Then we only have time for dinner before…”

  Sophie froze. She had briefly forgotten about tonight’s mission.

  Jack noticed the anxiety on Sophie’s face and placed a reassuring hand on the shoulder. “Tonight on the island... don’t worry, it’ll be okay. There’s no such thing as ghosts so there’s nothing to worry about!”

  Friday, June 27th, evening

  There was an amazing selection of desserts after dinner, including Ricotta cheesecake, Tiramisu, Zuppa Inglese, and Panna Cotta. But even though everything looked really delicious, Sophie and Jack were hardly able to eat a bite. When everyone was finished eating, Hackett stood up. He grabbed a glass and tapped his spoon against it. A shrill tone reverberated across the restaurant.

  “Boys and girls, it was a really great day. I’m pleased that you were all so attentive and enthusiastic. We’ve had an amazing dinner, too, but now…” he looked at his watch, “it’s just past eight-thirty. Time for everyone to go up to their rooms. So goodnight, sleep well, and I’ll see you in the lobby tomorrow morning at eight a.m. sharp!”

  A ripple of applause went around the tables, and then everyone stood up and sauntered off to their rooms. Sophie slipped into the hall unnoticed and headed towards the reception desk, where she was happy to see that the friendly receptionist was on duty for the night shift.

  “I have what may seem like a strange question,” Sophie said. “But is there any chance you have a shovel I could borrow?”

  The receptionist looked a bit surprised, but then nodded and disappeared out of sight. A few minutes later she returned with something that looked like a design shovel. The tool was foldable and made from glistening black metal. A normal shovel probably wasn’t good enough for a super luxury hotel like this.

  “Anything else?”

  Sophie shook her head, but couldn’t help asking the receptionist: “Aren’t you at all curious why I might need a shovel at this time of night? And doesn’t it bother you that we’re taking the boat out while our teacher and classmates are heading off to bed?” She looked directly into the woman’s eyes.