A showman opened Gaiety Land, a funfair with games and lotteries. The narrator bought a lottery ticket and surprisingly won a big road engine. He could not move it, and the showman refused to help. Soon the municipality ordered him to remove it, so he had to pay rent. He became poor and even pawned his wife’s jewels. No one knew how to drive the engine. Finally, with a temple elephant, fifty workers, and a driver named Joseph, he tried to move it. The engine went out of control and broke a compound wall. He had to pay many bills. Later, an earthquake shook the town, and the engine fell into an old well. The landowner cleared all his debts.
Conversations
Narrator & Showman
- Narrator: Sir, I won the road engine. How can I take it home?
- Showman: That is your problem, not mine.
- Narrator: Can you at least help me move it?
- Showman: No, I cannot.
- Narrator: Can you keep it here for some time?
- Showman: I can keep it till the season ends.
- Narrator: Do you know any driver for it?
- Showman: I know none.
- Narrator: Can I sell it to the municipality?
- Showman: I avoid municipal people. Don’t ask me.
Narrator & Wife
- Wife: Why did you bring home such a big problem?
- Narrator: I didn’t bring it. I only won it.
- Wife: What will you do with a road engine?
- Narrator: I don’t know yet.
- Wife: We are paying ten rupees rent every month!
- Narrator: I know. It is too much.
- Wife: You even pawned my jewels.
- Narrator: I am sorry. I had no choice.
- Wife: Please find a way to remove it.
- Narrator: I will try again tomorrow.
Narrator & Municipal Chairman
- Narrator: Sir, I want to sell a road engine.
- Chairman: A road engine? Where did you get it?
- Narrator: I won it in a lottery.
- Chairman: That is unusual.
- Narrator: I will give it at a low price.
- Chairman: We don’t need one now.
- Narrator: Please think again, sir.
- Chairman: I am sorry. I cannot help.
- Narrator: Then what should I do?
- Chairman: That is for you to decide.
Narrator & Temple Priest
- Narrator: Sir, I need help to move a road engine.
- Priest: A road engine? Why do you need help?
- Narrator: I must remove it from the grounds.
- Priest: Do you have a driver?
- Narrator: No one knows how to drive it.
- Priest: I can give you our temple elephant.
- Narrator: Really? That will help a lot.
- Priest: But you must pay for its food.
- Narrator: I will manage somehow.
- Priest: Then take the elephant tomorrow morning.
Narrator & Joseph (Dismissed Driver)
- Narrator: Joseph, can you drive a road engine?
- Joseph: I have never driven one.
- Narrator: Can you at least steer it?
- Joseph: If it moves, I can try.
- Narrator: I will use an elephant to pull it.
- Joseph: Then I can sit in the seat.
- Narrator: Please be careful.
- Joseph: Don’t worry. I will do my best.
- Narrator: Many people will watch us.
- Joseph: Let us hope nothing goes wrong.
Diary Entry
A diary is a personal record of your day, so you should always write it in the first person using words like I, me, and my. Begin with the date and day at the top. Then write about the important events that happened, in the order they happened. Use simple, natural language, as if you are talking to yourself. A diary should also include your feelings, thoughts, and reactions, not just actions. You can end the paragraph by writing what you learned, what you hope for, or what you plan to do next. A good diary entry is honest, clear, and written in your own voice.
Diary 1
14 December 2025, Sunday
Dear Diary,
Today something unbelievable happened. I went to Gaiety Land just for fun. I bought a lottery ticket without any hope. In the evening they called out the winning number. It was 1005—my number! They said I had won a road engine. I stood there shocked. People stared at me as if I were strange. How can anyone take home such a huge machine? I asked the showman for help, but he refused. Still, I felt proud. I kept thinking about the shining brass parts of the engine. I don’t know what I will do with it, but I feel excited and worried at the same time. Winning such a strange prize has changed my whole day.
Diary 2
14 December 2025, Sunday
Dear Diary,
Today I received a notice from the municipality. They want me to remove the road engine immediately. How can I move it? I don’t even know how to start it. I went to see the engine again. It looked lonely and dusty. I felt sad. I decided to pay rent for keeping it there, even though it costs ten rupees a month. That is more than my house rent! My wife is angry because I had to pawn her jewels. I feel helpless. I tried asking people to buy the engine, but no one wants it. I hope something good happens soon. This engine is becoming a burden. Paying rent for a useless machine is making my life difficult.
Diary 3
14 December 2025, Sunday
Dear Diary,
What a day! I finally found a way to move the engine. The temple priest agreed to give me his elephant. I also hired fifty coolies to push from behind. Joseph, a dismissed bus driver, said he would steer it. It looked like a grand procession. People gathered to watch. The elephant pulled, the men pushed, and Joseph sat proudly in the seat. For a moment I felt hopeful. But once we reached the main road, everything went wrong. The engine shook, turned, and went straight into a compound wall. The wall broke into pieces. The crowd shouted in excitement. I felt my heart sink. Trying to move the engine has only brought more trouble.
Diary 4
14 December 2025, Sunday
Dear Diary,
I spent the whole day dealing with problems. The owner of the broken wall slapped me. The police took me to the station. When I came out, more bad news waited for me. I must rebuild the wall. I must pay the coolies even though they ran away. I must pay Joseph. I must pay for the elephant’s injuries. I don’t know how I will manage all this. My wife refuses to give her last jewel. I feel completely lost. Everywhere I turn, someone is asking for money. This engine has ruined my peace. Facing so many bills at once is making me feel hopeless.
Diary 5
14 December 2025, Sunday
Dear Diary,
Last night an earthquake shook our town. We ran out of the house in fear. Today I went to see the engine one last time. To my shock, it was missing! After searching everywhere, we found it inside an old well nearby. It had fallen in during the earthquake. The owner of the land was very happy because the well was now safely covered. He even offered to pay all my debts. I felt so relieved. I refused the extra money he offered. At last, the engine is out of my life. I feel light and free again. The earthquake saving me feels like a miracle.
That’s the End of Diaries.
Making Questions
- Who brought Gaiety Land to the town?
- What kinds of shows and games were available in Gaiety Land?
- How much money did the show collect daily in gate money?
- What was the narrator’s lottery ticket number?
- What unusual prize did the narrator win?
- Why couldn’t the narrator take the prize home immediately?
- What help did the narrator ask from the showman?
- Why did the municipality send a notice to the narrator?
- How much rent did the narrator pay for keeping the engine on the grounds?
- Why did the narrator pawn his wife’s jewels?
- Whom did the narrator approach to sell the engine?
- Who suggested meeting the Municipal Chairman?
- Why did the narrator need to move the engine urgently during the cattle show?
- Who offered the services of the temple elephant?
- How many coolies were hired to push the engine?
- Who sat in the driver’s seat to steer the engine?
- What happened when the engine reached the main road?
- What damage did the engine cause to the compound wall?
- What were some of the expenses the narrator had to pay after the accident?
- How did the earthquake help solve the narrator’s problem?
