Atonement
Goodspeed Musicals just finished an adaptation of James and the Giant Peach for the stage. I'd love it if they'd come to New York, because I really want to see it. The story has been changed a bit, most notably the role of the old magician. Check out the synopsis at this link: .org/uploadedfiles/shows/2010/james_and_the_giant_peach/jgp_student_
This fic came from that synopsis and my own characters, who insisted I do this.
Thanks a ton, Shireheart. Your input helped enormously.
Marvo sat slumped in his tent, listening to the circus playing out in the main tent. The happy screams and shouts of the children, something he usually looked forward to, now made him sick.
"Wonder anyone bothered to come," the magician muttered. Savagely grabbing a bottle of liquor from his trunk, Marvo tipped the bitter contents down his throat, waiting for the oblivion that would only come with being drunk.
A soft wind whispered outside the tent, making it flap. Marvo glanced up, then slid off his chair to the dusty ground. The magician covered his face with his hands, waiting for the alcohol to hit his brain. More than anything, he just wanted to forget.
He wanted to forget… everything.
" Uncle Marvo. What have you done?" Marvo's head snapped up and he gave an involuntary gasp, falling onto his back. A girl of about fourteen stood before him, garbed in a brown robe and cloak. Her shiny black hair brushed her shoulders and her grey eyes were full of anger. Marvo had to wet his lips several times before gasping out,
"F-F-Faria? W-w-why?"
"Dad sent me and you know why I'm here, Uncle Marvo. Dad was far too furious to deal with you himself
"Faria, listen to me! Please, I… I'm so sorry!" Marvo couldn't help the sobs that wrenched his way out of his body. "I know! I know! It's all my fault! I didn't lock the rhino's cage! That couple was only trying to protect their little boy! Oh, Faria, it's all because of me that they- they-" Marvo's throat hitched before he could say anything else.
"Stop your crying, Uncle!" Faria snapped. "You know this isn't the first time some one has suffered because of your short-sightedness. You've been having accidents like this since before I was born and you know it! It's not just Dad and I who are fed up, it's the whole Magic Council!
"Faria-" began Marvo.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. But the many times in the past you've screwed up, the damage was able to be repaired with the aid and experience of others. But this time, your short-sightedness has not only cost two very good people their lives and a boy a loving family, but you have thrown Fate out of balance! Look!"
Faria removed a watch from inside her robe and held it out to her uncle. Marvo took it and felt his heart plummet into his chest. The clock face held not numbers or hands, but instead a picture of a small leaf floating on a stream. Or rather, it had been floating on a stream. The tiny green plant was now caught in a vicious-looking whirlpool.
"The boy?" Marvo asked.
"He has a name, you know," Faria stated. "The child is called James. And thanks to you, he is now living with his two aunts who treat him no better than a slave. All because you forgot to lock that rhino's cage during the circus parade!" Faria's last reprimand caused Marvo to lash out at his niece.
"Do you think I don't know that, Faria? I did something wrong and I wish that beast had eaten me instead of those two people! But what can I do? I can't bring them back from the dead!
"No, you can't, which is why your little mishap is so serious." Faria sighed. "Uncle, they want to entomb you."
"ENTOMB?" Marvo's mind whirled and nausea crept into his stomach. Of all the punishments a magician could be given, to be entombed was the very worst. Marvo could already see the stone coffin in which he would be locked in for all eternity, suspended between life and death with no hope of revival or crossing over into the next life. "But-but, those who are entombed have done far worse than I! You've got to stop them, Faria! Please!"
"There's nothing I can do, Uncle, don't you get it? Dad's on the Council and he voted against you being entombed, but if the Council decides to do it…" Faria's voice trailed off as her uncle rose from the floor and stumbled over to his cot.
"Isn't there anything you or Ellio can do?"
"Not us, but there's something you can do, Uncle Marvo."
"What, me?"
"You know our laws, Uncle. You owe James a debt. "
"But… but… but, what can I do? Faria, I'm not like you or your dad. Hell, in my acts, I have to rely on-"
"Have you forgotten your training? You may not be good at parlor tricks, but you can use real magic for this." Faria rolled her eyes. "Normally when a true magician takes a job in the human world, we worry that he'll reveal too much!"
Marvo turned away from his niece. Was it possible to avoid being entombed if he paid his debt to the boy? Maybe. He had nothing to lose now.
"But what can I-"
"That's up to you, Uncle. Do what you can to set James's life back in order, but do it because you mean to."
Marvo sighed, knowing that his niece right. And he didn't want to wallow in guilt forever; paying the debt might erase the horrible feeling.
"Right, I'll do it. Tell my brother I'll do whatever it takes."
"Good luck then." Faria turned to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Home, of course. You have to do this yourself, Uncle. That's what atonement is: an individual's wish to put right what he wronged." Marvo watched as Faria left the tent and vanished away into the night, leaving only a gust of wind behind her. Turing back into his tent, the magician waved his hands over his mirror. His own haggard reflection vanished and was replaced by a scene of a desolate hilltop. A small boy was curled up under a lifeless tree, shaking with what could only be sobs. The magician couldn't see the child's face, but he knew the boy's brown eyes would be flooded with tears. Marvo waved his hands again and the scene vanished.
Boy… James, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what I've done. Marvo nodded. Faria was right; he had to do what he could for the poor boy.
"Atonement, is it?" Marvo muttered as he gathered his ingredients. "Well, I've got a lot to make up for. Now, what can I-" A small bottle caught Marvo's eye and he picked it up. The tiny green container had only two words printed on it: parent's love.
Marvo stood stock still and then stowed it carefully in his pocket.
"I can't bring your family back, lad," he whispered to himself. "But I can ensure you'll have a proper home again. I'll atone for my mistakes, James. I promise."