Chapters 9 - 12 Summary and Analysis

James stands, alone, in the garden in the middle of the night, positively trembling. He stares at the peach, which looks more mysterious than ever in the moonlight. Although he knows he should feel frightened alone in the dark, the hairs on the back of James' neck stand up for a different reason: he feels like something strange is about to happen, but he doesn't know what. All James knows is that the entire night seems alive with magic. James reaches up to stroke the peach - it feels soft, like the fur of a mouse. Suddenly, he sees a giant hole, near the ground, leading into peach.

Upon further inspection, James realizes that it is not a hole in the peach, but a tunnel. Feeling brave, James climbs in, despite the sticky wet flesh of the peach inside...