Guess what my parents gave me—a bicycle! It’s a beautiful blue Mergomobile that’s made out of wood, with solid rubber tires. None of my friends at school own a bicycle yet. I’m the first.
I’ve never been on a bicycle, but people say they’re quite easy to ride once you get the hang of it. You power the Mergomobile by pushing the foot levers on either side of the frame. It will take me a while to learn how to ride it, but after Cleopatra’s Needle is in position and the weather is warmer, I’ll be able to ride my bicycle up to Central Park to see it whenever I want to.
My very own Mergomobile!
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1880
Dear Diary,
Today was the big day! Today was the big day! Today was the big day!
Except that it wasn’t. Excitement has been building since Christmas. Thousands of people gathered in the park to see Cleopatra’s Needle get raised up. The men wore their stovepipe hats, and the ladies showed up with their finest bonnets. And then do you know what happened?
A blizzard hit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much snow. There must have been three feet on the ground. They say this is one of the coldest winters anyone can remember.
I hope this doesn’t mean we’ll have to wait until spring to see Cleopatra’s Needle standing up. We’ve waited so long already. Mr. Gorringe has suspended work for a few days, but who knows how long it will be?
SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1881
Dear Diary,
Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 1881. It seems like only a year ago that we were celebrating the beginning of 1880! Just joking, Diary.
Mr. Gorringe wasn’t able to finish the job in time for New Year’s, but what could he do? Weather is weather. The snow finally stopped coming down and it is starting to melt. Annie and I didn’t go to Central Park today because we knew Mr. Gorringe was not going to make his men work on New Year’s Day.
In the meantime, I just read in the paper that they’re building a canal that’s going to go through Panama. It will be fifty miles long. Can you believe it? Ships used to have to go all the way around South America to get from New York to San Francisco. When the canal is finished, that trip will be much faster.
This is why I’m going to become an inventor. Inventors invent things to make life easier for people.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1881
Dear Diary,
After school, Annie and I watched as Mr. Gorringe and his men moved Cleopatra’s Needle into position. The middle of the obelisk is now positioned right over the pedestal.
Well, not the exact middle. It’s what they call “the center of gravity.” You see, an obelisk is thicker on the bottom than it is on the top. So if you tried to turn it from the exact middle point, one end would be heavier than the other and the whole thing would topple over. But if you turn it at the center of gravity, it’s easy to turn because there’s an equal amount of weight on each side. That’s science.
I read in the newspaper that the center of gravity is twenty-six feet from the bottom of Cleopatra’s Needle. I don’t know how they calculate that, but I’m sure I’ll learn when I take advanced math classes in school.
Now all they have to do is turn Cleopatra’s Needle until it’s vertical. It has been almost nineteen months since I heard the obelisk was coming to New York, and 102 days since it arrived in Manhattan. I counted. They say good things are worth waiting for, Diary.
Before we went home, we watched for a while as the workmen started to take apart the railroad trestle. Now that Cleopatra’s Needle is in place, they won’t need it anymore.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1881
Dear Diary,
The turning mechanism is finished. It’s hard to believe that a bunch of pieces of wood and iron screwed together will be strong enough to hold up a 220-ton piece of stone and turn it from horizontal to vertical. I heard the turning mechanism weighs more than a ton, and it was made melted-down metal from cannons captured from the Confederacy during the Civil War. Everybody trusts that Mr. Gorringe knows what he’s doing. He’s going to turn Cleopatra’s Needle and put it on its pedestal any day now. I am so excited!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1881
Dear Diary,
The word is out. It’s going to be tomorrow. They’re going to turn it tomorrow! How am I going to sleep tonight?
SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1881
Dear Diary,
Guess what? There was another big snowstorm last night. I don’t know how many inches we got, but there were a lot of them. We didn’t know if Mr. Gorringe and his men were going to go ahead, but Annie and I decided to go to Central Park just in case. After waiting as long as we have, it would be horrible to miss the big event.
We got here early to get a good view, and I’m glad we did. There are thousands of people here! And they’re still streaming in. It will be hard to get a good view.
Kids are sledding on the hills in Central Park. I brought you, Diary, with me so I can write in you as it’s happening. It wouldn’t be fair to leave you home.
I still haven’t seen Cleopatra’s Needle itself. It’s been covered with wooden boards the whole time. I certainly hope they’ll take that wood off soon so we can see the obelisk. We’ve been waiting so patiently.
Even with all the snow on the ground, it looks like they’re going to go ahead. Hooray! The park is beautiful covered in snow. It’s very cold out. I can see my breath. Fortunately, I bundled up good. I can see icicles hanging off the wooden casing of Cleopatra’s Needle. Some people have built bonfires to keep warm. There are lots of carriages and horses here. I feel sorry for those horses, having to stand in the cold. They don’t know what’s going on.
I just spotted Mr. Gorringe. He looks very handsome in his black overcoat and top hat. Wait! He’s coming over here!
“It would be my honor, Rebecca, to have you and your family view the proceedings from the grandstand,” he just told me. “After all, we wouldn’t be here today if not for you.”
He actually said those words to me! I’m so happy!
Mr. Gorringe led us to a grandstand on the north side of Cleopatra’s Needle. We have the best seat in the house! There are a bunch of important looking dignitaries dressed up in fine clothes. Oooh, the Marine Band just marched over from Fifth Avenue. They’re playing The Obelisk Waltz.
