We landed in an empty field. The dry earth was no match for our thrusters and was soon covering everything. There were folks running our way with fists in the air. I had wondered if landing would cause trouble. It had. We would have to pay premium prices now.
I opened the landing doors and held out cases of protein bars. The crowd quieted, but the fruit man was raging at us.
"You will pay double this time!" He was doing this for show, for we always paid double or triple.
"What do you have today?" My mouth was already watering.
"Peaches, watermelon, melons and some berries." He stood tall an proud. Not everyone could make stuff grown in this ground.
My partner, the copilot, was staring and wondering what he was looking at.
I pointed to each item and he started pulling out his pay chip. He had never spent a point, so he was loaded and we planned on buying all the fruit he could afford.
We wiped out the stand and even bought fruit that wasn't the freshest for canning.
People ran as we approached the skimmer and covered their heads when we clicked the engines on. Flying away, I looked at the dry ground and then spied the patches of green with fruit trees and other treasures. They were heavily guarded. Fruit was the last natural luxury left on earth. The baskets we had today were equivalent to the price of a car in the early 21st century.
Back on board, we were also heavily guarded. This I had paid for. There was no reason to go to all the expense if we were attacked immediately on reentry to the ship. We stored it all in our quarters and then sat down with a peach between us. It had been decontaminated and I cut into it, but made sure to literally lick up all the juice.
I gave the copilot a slim slice and he groaned and drooled. I gave him the rest of his half and he licked each finger clean and his section of the table.
"When can we have more?"
"Tonight we can have another peach, okay?" He nodded, but I could see that he had 'fruit eyes' and told him to go ahead, for I knew I would have to change the lock combo or he would eat it all and die.
I caught up to him and we were soon surrounded by our coworkers. Suddenly we had friends. My partner was buying it, especially from the more attractive females, but I just gave one nut twist and all my male 'friends' disappeared.
***
I stayed up all night making preserves or jams with the older fruit and the aroma was painful. I made my suffering partner a piece of toast and some blackberry preserves and he was soon swooning and then fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Sneaking into the bathroom, I brought a handle full of older berries and ate each on private and in silence. The fruit exploded in my mouth and I savored every warm drop. Fruit was heaven, ambrosia and the ultimate pleasure. I fell asleep, but made myself rise and hit the bed instead.
***
We worked late the next day and made sure to have toast with jam again. Our dry locker would keep the fruit fresh for quite awhile and the goods I canned would last for weeks at least.
Work was tedious and long and we ran back to our quarters, which had been broken into. We secured the door, for our hidey holes had not been disturbed. We checked our stashes and then rewarded ourselves with half each of a tiny watermelon. They would go bad the fastest, so we had to eat them when sliced. I would then make watermelon rind pickles, for nothing went to waste in space.
***
The weeks went by and the attacks continued, but they never found the stash. We each invited one friend to share the larger watermelon and then we all slept for hours. The human body just couldn't handle fructose like one hundred years earlier. You would sleep or some would even become comatose. We were really protecting folks, right?
The fruit was gone and I breathed a sigh of relief. We still had cases of jars of jams and pickles, so we were in fine shape and no one knew what those were, so we were much safer as well.
The partner was saving all his pay again and this time for vegetables. He had heard of them and now wanted to buy us everything we could find. We would have to wait for that season, but I was already planning a no waste campaign for every type we may come across.
I planned to parcel out our jams until the next fruit season, for the luxury of fruit had me in its grip and wouldn't let go.
"You will pay double this time!" He was doing this for show, for we always paid double or triple.
"What do you have today?" My mouth was already watering.
"Peaches, watermelon, melons and some berries." He stood tall an proud. Not everyone could make stuff grown in this ground.
My partner, the copilot, was staring and wondering what he was looking at.
I pointed to each item and he started pulling out his pay chip. He had never spent a point, so he was loaded and we planned on buying all the fruit he could afford.
We wiped out the stand and even bought fruit that wasn't the freshest for canning.
People ran as we approached the skimmer and covered their heads when we clicked the engines on. Flying away, I looked at the dry ground and then spied the patches of green with fruit trees and other treasures. They were heavily guarded. Fruit was the last natural luxury left on earth. The baskets we had today were equivalent to the price of a car in the early 21st century.
Back on board, we were also heavily guarded. This I had paid for. There was no reason to go to all the expense if we were attacked immediately on reentry to the ship. We stored it all in our quarters and then sat down with a peach between us. It had been decontaminated and I cut into it, but made sure to literally lick up all the juice.
I gave the copilot a slim slice and he groaned and drooled. I gave him the rest of his half and he licked each finger clean and his section of the table.
"When can we have more?"
"Tonight we can have another peach, okay?" He nodded, but I could see that he had 'fruit eyes' and told him to go ahead, for I knew I would have to change the lock combo or he would eat it all and die.
I caught up to him and we were soon surrounded by our coworkers. Suddenly we had friends. My partner was buying it, especially from the more attractive females, but I just gave one nut twist and all my male 'friends' disappeared.
***
I stayed up all night making preserves or jams with the older fruit and the aroma was painful. I made my suffering partner a piece of toast and some blackberry preserves and he was soon swooning and then fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Sneaking into the bathroom, I brought a handle full of older berries and ate each on private and in silence. The fruit exploded in my mouth and I savored every warm drop. Fruit was heaven, ambrosia and the ultimate pleasure. I fell asleep, but made myself rise and hit the bed instead.
***
We worked late the next day and made sure to have toast with jam again. Our dry locker would keep the fruit fresh for quite awhile and the goods I canned would last for weeks at least.
Work was tedious and long and we ran back to our quarters, which had been broken into. We secured the door, for our hidey holes had not been disturbed. We checked our stashes and then rewarded ourselves with half each of a tiny watermelon. They would go bad the fastest, so we had to eat them when sliced. I would then make watermelon rind pickles, for nothing went to waste in space.
***
The weeks went by and the attacks continued, but they never found the stash. We each invited one friend to share the larger watermelon and then we all slept for hours. The human body just couldn't handle fructose like one hundred years earlier. You would sleep or some would even become comatose. We were really protecting folks, right?
The fruit was gone and I breathed a sigh of relief. We still had cases of jars of jams and pickles, so we were in fine shape and no one knew what those were, so we were much safer as well.
The partner was saving all his pay again and this time for vegetables. He had heard of them and now wanted to buy us everything we could find. We would have to wait for that season, but I was already planning a no waste campaign for every type we may come across.
I planned to parcel out our jams until the next fruit season, for the luxury of fruit had me in its grip and wouldn't let go.
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