Chapter 37

The crowd began writhing with the beat, and the endless parade of fruit-delivering diploids was a long, undulating serpent-like thing, kissing the skins of the ripe fruit in their hands, twirling to present it in the direction of the colony’s Great Tree. After a bow of respect, the individuals in the line moved to the stage to hand the fruit up to the young women. In exchange for the fruit, the receiving woman would offer herself to be touched or kissed, while her partner continued stomping the mash.

Soon there was enough fruit in the tubs that the first of the dresses came off and flew through the air. The young woman tossing it reached down into the tub, grabbing handfuls of the fruit mash and began covering herself from the neck down. She twirled once around, proudly displaying her sticky, naked body. A wild cheer went up from the crowd. Her fruit stomping partner did the same and no more fruit was delivered to their tub.