Through an Innocent's Eyes

Disclaimer: I do not own James and the Giant Peach, but I do own some of the names I give to the minor characters.

Ch.2 The Journey

James raced upstairs to his room. He didn't want to look at his now- empty house, devoid of his parents' possessions. Thankfully, his room was still intact, although he knew it wouldn't be for long. Falling back onto his bed, James breathed in the familiar scent of his pale blue comforter his mother had made for him. Surprisingly, he did not cry; he couldn't. He was all cried out.

Sitting up, James noticed some one, probably the man had left a battered suitcase on his floor. Sliding off his bed, James knelt down and examined it. The outer leather was scuffed and faded and the inside flap was torn, giving the carrier an extra pocket. Definitely not something you'd give to a friend to borrow. More like something you'd give to some one who didn't matter just to get rid of it.

Almost automatically, James opened his dresser drawers and began piling his clothes into the suitcase. He had a feeling that when the man said 'take only what you need,' he meant 'don't take your toys'. However, once James was through with his clothes, he quickly grabbed a few small items as mementos of his parents: a rubber band ball, a tiny toy car, some crayons, his last birthday candle, and his travel book of New York City. James thought for a while before carefully stowing his precious treasures behind the torn flap. There was a small bulge, but his toys were nicely hid; James didn't want the man taking anything away from him like he had taken all of his parents' things.

Shutting the suitcase, James took one last look around his room. He sighed again, bowing his head under the weight of his sadness. He couldn't ever remember feeling so upset; couldn't remember a time when he'd been too sad to shed tears.

Lugging his suitcase downstairs, James found the man waiting for him in the now-empty living room. He glared at James before beckoning him with one thick finger.

"Well, hurry up, boy. We haven't got all day." He turned and strutted out the front door, James following without a word.

The man's black car was parked just outside the house. The man opened the back door and James got in. The man slammed the door, then got into the driver's seat. With a few quick movements, he started the car and began to drive. James turned and watched as his old home and his own life vanished rapidly behind him. They had left his life before he'd had a chance to say goodbye.

The drive to James's aunts' house was silent. The man showed no interest in the distraught child in his back seat, viewing him as a nuisance that he wanted to get rid of as soon as possible. James, for his part, was very nervous. He had never met his aunts Spiker and Sponge. They had never come to visit and his parents had never gone to see them. He knew that they were his father's younger twin sisters, but that was it. Otherwise, he had no knowledge of his two family members whatsoever.

"Excuse me, sir," James asked softly. The man grunted ill-temperedly and snapped,

"What is it now?"

"Did you ever meet my aunts, sir? The man glared at him.

"No I never met your aunts, boy? What kind of a question is that? Huh, next thing I know, you'll be asking me if I've learned to fly!" Shocked, James shrank back against the seat. More than anything, he wished time would rewind and his mother and father had not been eaten by that rhino and that they were still living happily together by the sea.

Another angry grunt jerked James back to reality.

"There's the house now." The car had begun to slowly chug up a steep hill, atop of which was James's new home. However, there was nothing new or home-like about it. The old house was made of splintery dark wood and seemed to lean to the left. The whole yard looked desolate and bare and devoid of life. In the middle of the yard was an old tree whose branches seemed to wave away newcomers, as if telling them to seek a better life elsewhere.

"Well, this is it," the man said, pulling to a stop. He got out and opened James's door.

"Out, boy, go on." James got out of the car, although his legs were shaking. He stared at the angry-looking house, terrified of having to enter. The man, meanwhile, ignored James and got back into the driver's seta. James's brown eyes widened and he cried out,

"Wait, sir! Where are you going?" The man stuck his head out the window and gave James another of his famous glares.

"I said I wanted you off my hands, boy, and now you are. Whatever happens to you now is none of my concern. You're in their care now. Good riddance." He pulled himself back inside and gunned the engine, causing James to leap backward. Without missing a beat, the car chugged away back down the hill, leaving James behind.

Stunned, James picked up his suitcase and turned back to his new house. Without a choice, he forced his lead feet into motion until he was standing at the dark brown door. James swallowed and reached out a hand to knock, his small fist barely making any sound at all. However, he had no sooner lowered his hand than the door flew open and James met his aunts for the first time.