Читать книгу Don Quixote and Me - Donald Barr - Страница 12

Chapter 6

In which the famed Helmet of Mambrino is recovered

Usually I liked camping out, but that was when I was doing it with my mom. Camping out in a strange place with a knight errant is different. All night long, I kept waking up and wondering if I was back in my bedroom in Boise. It didn’t take long to figure out that I wasn’t in Boise.

When morning finally came, I woke up and saw that Sir Don was up and fixing breakfast. “Well, my young knight, what would you like for breakfast? We have cold porridge and dried bread.”

I decided on a little of each. It was a bit like eating cardboard and paste, but at least I didn’t feel hungry anymore. “Can’t we try to find the way back to Boise today?”

“I’m sorry, Sandy, but in our world here, there is no such place as Boise.”

Was I ever going to see my mom again? Now I really started to feel scared. What would happen to me if I never figured out how to get home?

“Don’t forget, Sandy, a knight errant often must feel fear before he feels triumph. Think of how Amadis of Gaul felt when the evil wizard tied him up in the castle. Have courage, and believe in what we are doing. That is the way you can return to Boise.”

I guess I didn’t have a choice. I had better stick with Sir Don, because if you ever find yourself in a strange place with no idea how to get home, you’re probably better off sticking with a knight errant rather than going it alone. I helped Sir Don clean up from breakfast and pack our stuff. Actually, it’s a good thing my mom wasn’t there. I’d been wearing the same clothes for three days and my socks were getting a bit musty. She would’ve had a fit.

As we started riding, I began to wonder what kind of adventures we would have today. It didn’t take me long to find out. About thirty minutes later, it started to rain. Not a real storm or anything—but enough to get me completely soaked. It was a good thing we had those blankets from the old mill. They weren’t nearly as good as Goretex, but at least they kept most of the rain off my clothes. I put one corner of the blanket over my head to keep my hair dry, like those monks we’d seen yesterday.

Sir Don suddenly stopped his horse. “It is a miracle! I have finally found it.”

Found what? I wondered. He was looking at the road in front of us. If there was a miracle there, I certainly didn’t see it. Finding a sign that said Boise-5 miles would have been a miracle, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“Sandy—behold! It is the Helmet of Mambrino! My years of following my quest have all been worthwhile.”

I didn’t exactly know what the Helmet of Mambrino was, but I sure couldn’t see it. What I did see was another man on a donkey, coming our way. He had a blanket over his shoulders to keep the rain out, just like me. Instead of using the blanket to keep the rain off his head, he had some sort of wash basin turned upside down on his head, like soldiers used to wear in some pictures I had seen.

“Sir Don, I don’t see any miracle. All I see is a man riding a donkey with a wash basin on his head.”

“Sandy, that is no wash basin. Do you not see how it shines, even on this rainy day when there is no sun to be seen? The reason it shines is because it is made from solid gold! This is the helmet the legends speak of. This has been what I have been searching for all these years. With the Helmet of Mambrino upon my head, I will become the strongest knight in all the kingdom. No other will dare to challenge me.”

How can a plain old wash basin make you powerful? As the man got closer I could see that it had some sort of brass finish on its surface. I had seen wash basins before, and there wasn’t anything special about this one.

Then I figured it out! Somehow, for Sir Don, being a knight errant made him see lots of things differently than most other people. He saw a castle, but other people saw a country inn. He saw an army of soldiers and knights; other people saw a herd of sheep. I wondered if being a knight errant made him see the brass wash basin as some sort of golden treasure.

“Hold great knight, and tell me how you came to wear this famed Helmet of Mambrino.” Sir Don said this to the man on the donkey.

The man pulled his donkey to the side of the road as if he wanted to get out of our way. “Forgive me sir, for I know not what you speak of. I have no famous helmet. I am a simple barber, carrying the tools of my trade. What is on my head is a simple basin I use to shave men’s beards.”

“This is no simple basin. In all the world, there is no finer helm that that of Mambrino. It is made of the finest gold in the land. Tell me how you came to have it.”

The barber turned to me and shrugged as if to say, “Who is this guy?”

Sir Don saw it as a magical helmet made from pure gold. I guess this is what happens when someone is a knight errant. “Mr. Barber, sir, please forgive my friend. Sometimes he sees things differently than other people see them.”

Sir Don kept talking. “What treasure will you take in payment for the glorious helmet you have upon your head? I have wandered many lands in search of this very helmet. It is my destiny as a knight errant to have this helmet placed upon my own head. What can I pay you for it?”

“Sir Knight, are you sure you want this?” The barber took the basin off his head and held it up. “It is but a simple wash basin. You can buy one in any town market.”

“To you it appears as a simple basin. Through the eyes of a knight errant, whose sight is focused by the trueness of his heart, it is clear that this is none other than the Helmet of Mambrino. Name your price!”

The barber looked at Sir Don, then he looked at me.

“That will I take as payment for this bas…uh, this helmet.” He pointed to my wrist.

I looked down and realized that he was pointing at the watch my mom bought me for my last birthday. Mom said if I kept it on my wrist every day, then I might be more likely to get to school and get home on time. It was a digital watch that showed both the time and the day. I think it cost $39.95.

Sir Don turned from the barber. “Sandy, I have no doubt that you wear that bracelet as a symbol of some great deed you have done. I have no right to ask you to give it up. You must do as your heart tells you.” His face got that sad look again. This was just a plain old digital watch. You can get them anywhere—at least anywhere in Boise. Should I tell him it really isn’t very valuable? If I give it away, though, what am I going to tell my mom?

Then I remembered! I have a piggy bank in my room at home in Boise. Every time I get some allowance, I stick it in there for safekeeping. I must have nearly sixty dollars saved up. If I ever get back to Boise, I’ll just buy a new watch, and Mom will never know.

“Sir Barber, it will be an honor to exchange my watch for your helmet.” When I said “helmet” instead of “basin,” I winked at him. I handed him my watch and he took the basin off his head and handed it to me. With a big grin on my face, I handed it to Sir Don, who promptly put it upside down on his head, just like it really was a helmet. He looked silly wearing it, but there wasn’t any sadness in his face any more. Now his face beamed with pride.

The barber looked admiringly at my watch. I showed him how by pushing the button on the side he could go from showing the day of the week to showing the month and date. He began to ride away, down the road, happy as a clam, pushing the little button, and laughing every time. I wondered what he was going to do when the battery wore out? I didn’t think they sold batteries here.

Sir Don kept taking the helmet off, looking at it, and then putting it back on. “I believe I have never seen such finely crafted gold. It is as the legend has described it, the finest helmet ever to grace the head of a knight errant. But I wonder what happened to the facemask. All the legends describe the helmet as having a finely woven mask in the front that can be placed over the face for protection during battle. I see no evidence of a facemask. No doubt some scoundrel has removed the facemask and melted it down for the gold in it. I should have asked our barber friend how he came to possess the helmet, so I might know how it came to be so desecrated.”

“I don’t think I would worry about it. Didn’t you say that this Helmet of Mambrino has magical powers to protect the knight who wears it from harm? You won’t need a facemask, then, because the magic will keep your face safe from any harm.”

“Sandy, what you say is of course true. I should have known this.” He put the helmet back on his head, adjusted it so it shaded his eyes from the sun, and began to ride down the road with a big smile on his face. I followed close behind, wondering again how it is that a knight errant sees things differently than other people. What if I was wrong, and it really was some kind of magical helmet?