This section deals with the first part of the letter written by Merlin to Malli. She told her about her trip to Ooty with her friends. Their class teacher Mrs. Geetha and two other teachers accompanied a group of twenty girls and boys from Class VI. Merlin had heard from her grandmother about the beautiful journey to Ooty by the toy train. She said that it was a spectacular trip up and down the slopes with birds and trees dancing along the way. Merlin wrote that she was so excited when she stepped into the toy train with her friends. There were wooden chairs with cushioned seats and oil painted walls. She called out her friend Fathima to sit next to her.
They were enjoying the view from the toy train. Their teacher Mrs. Geetha came around to see if everyone was seated properly. The train started with a jerk and moved slowly. Everyone of them clapped joyfully. One of the boys, Muthu wanted to walk along the side of the train, as it was going very slowly. But his teacher scolded him to go to his seat immediately. All the girls laughed at this and Muthu sat down quietly with a long face.
This section of the letter gives the clear view of the scenes outside the train. The scene was beautiful with the purple blue mountains forming a lovely backdrop to the green fields and the estates. Monkeys with babies clinging onto them were racing all along the tracks. One of the monkeys tried to snatch a banana from a girl, as she leaned out of the window to look at the train curving on the track. She gave a scream and moved back. The misty clouds, which covered the mountains, the bubbling stream with a small waterfall, and a pretty blue bird were marvellous to see. Suddenly, the train stopped with a thud. Boys were so excited to see what happened. So they begged their teacher to allow them to step out of the train.
In the end, the whole compartment stepped out. And what a sight greeted their eyes!
This section narrates the incident on the track. There was a cute baby elephant sitting on the track. The mother elephant was nearby trumpeting loudly. The engine driver and others tried to persuade the baby off the track with the bunch of bananas. But the mother elephant did not allow anyone near the baby. So they were making all kinds of sounds to make the baby elephant move from there. Just then, Muthu went upf to the baby with a bunch of bananas. Just as it moved to eat it, he moved backwards. He kept doing this, till the baby was out on the side of the tracks. Everyone cheered as the baby and mother started eating the bananas. As they were eating, everyone got into the train and it left after a delay of half an hour.
Merlin ended the letter saying that it was a fantastic trip. It was enchanting to listen to the sounds of streams and waterfalls. She can never forget the wide, wind-swept tea estates, cloud covered mountains, the swaying trees and the birds chirping. The whole group was so excited by the trip.
