Seven
The two women and the small boy stood absolutely still on the grass underneath¹ the tree, gazing up atthis extraordinary fruit. James’s little face was glowing with excitement, his eyes were as big and brightas two stars. He could see the peach swelling² larger and larger as clearly as if it were a balloon beingblown up.
In half a minute, it was the size of a melon!
In another half-minute, it was twice as big again!
‘Just look at it growing!’ Aunt Spiker cried.
‘Will it ever stop!’ Aunt Sponge shouted, waving her fat arms and starting to dance around in circles.
And now it was so big it looked like an enormous butter-coloured pumpkin³ dangling⁴ from the top ofthe tree.
‘Get away from that tree trunk, you stupid boy!’ Aunt Spiker yelled. ‘The slightest shake and I‘msure it’ll fall off! It must weigh twenty or thirty pounds at least!’
The branch that the peach was growing upon was beginning to bend over further and further becauseof the weight.
‘Stand back!’ Aunt Sponge shouted. ‘It’s coming down! The branch is going to break!’
But the branch didn’t break. It simply bent⁵ over more and more as the peach got heavier and heavier.
And still it went on growing.
In another minute, this mammoth⁶ fruit was as large and round and fat as Aunt Sponge herself, andprobably just as heavy.
‘It has to stop now!’ Aunt Spiker yelled. ‘It can’t go on for ever!’
But it didn’t stop.
Soon it was the size of a small car, and reached halfway⁷ to the ground.
Both aunts were now hopping⁸ round and round the tree, clapping their hands and shouting all sorts ofsilly things in their excitement.
‘Hallelujah!’ Aunt Spiker shouted. ‘What a peach! What a peach!’

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