Chapter 10: The Atlantic Ocean

Everything was dark and black inside the peach. The inhabitants were unconscious for a while, but they woke up, groaning and moaning in pain. Everything was pitch dark in the room and no one knew what was going on.

"Where are we?" James asked.

Then Earthworm cried with pain, "OW! Somebody pinched me!"

"Sorry," said Centipede. "I thought you were the Spider."

Miss Spider gasped and then hit Mr. Grasshopper on the tail.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed. "What was that?"

"Excuse, I thought you were the Centipede."

Penelope was on the floor lying flat on her stomach and she felt something slimy wrapped around her waist. When her hand touched it, there was a scream.

"Help!" Earthworm cried. "Something touched me!" He quickly squeezed around the girl's waist as if she was tightened in a corset. Penelope felt air was sucked out from her body and could not move.

"Earthworm..." she gasped. "I ...can't breathe!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Penelope," the serpentine bug realized it was the gypsy girl. He loosened himself allowing the girl to catch her breath. Penelope sat up and took deep breaths to get the air back into her lungs.

She looked around and knew someone was missing. Her heart began to beat frantically in her chest. She looked around the stone to find her goat.

"Jaelle?" she called. "Where are you?"

There was a bleating above her, and Penelope looked up and gasped. "Jaelle!"

The goat was dangling by her hoof from a platform and struggled to break free. After many attempts of breaking free, she slipped, landed on Centipede; bounced up and landed on Dragonfly.

"Ouch!" he yelled. "Who landed on me?"

"Baaaa!"

"Oh, it's just the goat," Jaelle bleated in a soft tone, rubbing her muzzle against the tall bug.

"Hey Glowworm," Centipede called out. "How about some light?"

"I can't hear you, dear," Glowworm replied while trying to get her light on. "I'll have to put my light on."

Glowworm's light turned to bright green and revealing the group. The Glowworm's lantern, with her still in it, was on its side on the floor. Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede were both on top of it, upper halves hanging off the edge. Miss Spider was on top of both, with James hanging by the back of his jacket on one of her legs. Earthworm was on the floor near the lantern and his body was wrapped around Penelope's middle. Dragonfly at first was upside down but he was sitting up and had Jaelle lying across his chest.

The goat got up, shook her fur, and stretched her legs. There was a cry, and everyone turned to see poor Mrs. Ladybug lying on her back moving her arms and legs as a normal sized bug would do.

"Oh! Oh! This is so un-ladybug-like!" she whimpered, waving her arms around.

James untangled himself from Miss Spider's leg and walked over to Mrs. Ladybug. He went behind her and pushed her up to her feet. "Don't worry. I'll have you right-side up in no time."

"Oh, thank you, James," she said. Then she noticed the little boy walking to the ladder. "Where are you going?"

"To see where we've landed," he said, as he climbed the ladder.

"I'll come with you too," Penelope added. "Come on Jaelle." The goat hopped into her mistress's arms and relaxed. Once settled, the gypsy girl followed her adopted brother.

As James reached the hatch, he opened it and above him was a bright blue sky with seagulls flying in the air.

The boy walked on top and looked around in astonishment, "Whoa!" he gasped, and Penelope exited the hatch, she grew amazed as well. "No way!" she added.

The giant peach was floating in a huge body of water, the water was a sapphire blue, and the sun was rising in the sky. It didn't take long for James and Penelope to realize that they were in the Atlantic Ocean.

James climbed up on top of the stem, "Oh my!"

"Heaven's above!" the gypsy girl added.

Then Jaelle and the other bugs climbed out from the hatch to see the ocean. Like the children, they were amazed at the sight.

"Oh, my, my!" Mrs. Ladybug said, taking in the view.

Earthworm followed the middle-aged ladybug, groaned, and stretched his back. "Oh, my achin' back!"

Then Dragonfly appeared and grew stunned at the sight. "Oh, wow!"

Mr. Grasshopper emerged after Dragonfly, and he also gasped at the sight. "Ohh! Fascinating, isn't it?" he asked.

"What? What's fascinating, tell me?" Earthworm asked in a worried voice. "Don't leave me dangling."

Miss Spider appeared from inside the peach and gasped, "We're in the middle of… how do you say? The big puddle!"

"Biggest puddle of 'em all, angel fangs:" Centipede said, ignoring the arachnid's glare. "The Atlantic Ocean."

"Technically, the Pacific is larger," said Mr. Grasshopper.

"Well, that goes without sayin'."

"But there is land in sight?" Earthworm asked hopefully.

"Nothing but blue skies and clear waters," Mrs. Ladybug said.

Earthworm grunted in frustration and turned sharply towards Centipede. "This is all your fault!" the serpentine bug snapped, making Centipede jump on the hatch.

"Hey!" Centipede shot back at him. "Wasn't for me, we'd all be Spiked and Sponged by now!"

"Yeah, the laddie's got a point Wormy," Dragonfly said.

"This old man with his green things..." Miss Spider said to James. "Did he happen to speak to where we are going?"

"No," James admitted as he remembered what the Magic Man told him and Penelope. "All he said was the answers would be right here…" The boy pointed to his heart and felt the left side of his coat. Then he reached in and pulled out something familiar. "Huh? Our travel book!" Penelope's emerald orbs widened in shock. It was the travel book of New York City fully repaired!

James opened it and Penelope peered in. Instead of stopping marks, an illustration of the map showed the peach on the shore of the United Kingdom.

"Look!" James cried. "There's the peach!" Looking on the other side, the little boy and gypsy girl saw their star destination in America. He stood on the stem and exclaimed, "We're going to New York City!"

Penelope held in hands and gasped with joy. Jaelle bleated in and hopped around in glee. Centipede spat out his cigar into his hand. "New York! They love me there!"

"Wonderful! They've got a whole park full of leaves for you Miss Ladybug," said James.

"Central Park!" Centipede spoke up.

"And loads of dark hiding places," the boy told Miss Spider.

"Nightclubs!"

"And museums and concerts," James said to Mr. Grasshopper.

"Not to mention Yankee Stadium," grinned Centipede

"What about me?" Earthworm asked.

"Why, they've got miles and miles of underground tunnels!" James explained, making the serpentine bug gasped with delight.

"The subway," Centipede said.

"Is there anything for me laddie?" Dragonfly asked.

"There are great wrestling and boxing matches for you Mr. Dragonfly," the boy said.

"Madison Square Garden!" Centipede elbowed the Scottish bug. Dragonfly shrugged but gave a simple smile.

"And there are theatres and cabarets for you Penelope!" James said.

"Broadway!" Centipede said as he swung an arm around the girl.

Penelope not only dreamed of living a life of freedom, but she also had dreams of being an actress, singer, and dancer. Not only would she perform in Hollywood or Broadway, but she would also talk about gypsy culture and tell fortunes. She felt it was another miracle.

"My father said it's the city where dreams come true," said James.

Then everyone broke into song, ready to go to New York and pursue their dreams.

(Centipede):

That's the life for me!

(Mrs. Ladybug):

That's the life for me!

(Mr. Grasshopper, Dragonfly, and Centipede):

That's the life for me!

(Miss Spider and Mrs. Ladybug):

That's the life for me!

(James and Penelope):

That's the life...

(All):

That's the life...

That's the life...

That's the life...

That's the life for me!

When everyone finished singing, Mr. Grasshopper announced, "New York it is then!" But then remembered something and asked scratching his antennas, "Now, how do we get there?"

"I'll get us there!" Centipede said confidently.

"You?"

"Sure! I've sailed the five seas: from the sun-drenched wreaths of Bora Bora... to the icy shores of Tripoli," Centipede bragged, not noticing Mr. Grasshopper yawning. "Commodore Centipede, they used to call me!"

"Seven," Mr. Grasshopper said, yawning.

Huh?" Centipede looked at the grasshopper.

"There are seven seas and Tripoli is in the sun tropics... Commodore."

Centipede brushed off Mr. Grasshopper's comments and turned to his companions. He yelled, "Trim the sails!"

"There are no sails," said Mrs. Ladybug.

"Stoke the engines!"

"There are no engines," said Earthworm.

"I can't work with the miserable crew," Centipede complained as he threw his hat to the ground, and eventually picked it up.

"Great! We're stuck here until we shrivel up and die!" Earthworm moaned.

"Stop yer worryin' Earthworm!" Dragonfly said. "Things are gonna be fine! Right Mr. Grasshopper?"

"Highly improbable," said Mr. Grasshopper as he cleaned his monocle.

"That's a relief," said Mrs. Ladybug.

He continued, "We're far more likely to drown."

"Oh no!" Mrs. Ladybug gasped.

"Please Mr. Grasshopper," the girl cried. "I don't wanna hear something like that!"

Jaelle bleated in worry and ran towards her mistress. The goat rubbed her head against the gypsy girl's thigh; the girl looked down and petted Jaelle's head. Penelope turned her attention to James. The little boy was looking up at the sky and watched a flock of seagulls flying. He came up with an idea and cried, "I know! We could…" but he stopped himself and sighed with disappointment, "No, it's a stupid idea."

"What were you thinking James?" asked the Gypsy girl.

"Compared to what?" asked Mr. Grasshopper bitterly, glancing at Centipede.

"Hey!" the multi-armed bug protested.

"Well, we could fly out," the little boy finished.

Mr. Grasshopper nodded, but Centipede sighed, "He's right. It's stupid."

Mr. Grasshopper glared at Centipede, and Penelope crossed her arms, and glared at him too.

"How would you do it, James?" Mrs. Ladybug asked with an encouraging smile.

"With those seagulls," James answered. "But we'll need string."

"Oh well, I'll just go to the stationer's and pick up some paper clips while I'm at it!" Earthworm said sarcastically.

"I have string," Miss Spider offered as she pulled some string from her abdomen, "Miles of string."

"And we'll need bait," James concluded. "Bird bait."

"And we have the perfect person for it," Penelope added, looking at Earthworm.

"Bird bait?" Earthworm asked skeptically. "Where do you expect we're gonna find bird bait out here in the middle of the…the..."

He stopped talking when the other bugs: Centipede, Mr. Grasshopper, Dragonfly, and Mrs. Ladybug circled around him, and they were all smiling. Mrs. Ladybug pulled out a cowbell from her purse and it clanged, that was when Earthworm realized what was coming.

"Oh, no! No, no!" he cried. "Have you lost your minds?!"

Everyone grabbed Earthworm and wrapped the bell around his neck; the poor worm just screamed.