"I... I... I can't" Patrick answered
"Why not?" Ryan asked him
"It's because those aren't your feet anymore." Patrick said. "They're your roots!"
"Roots?" Ryan said. "Are you saying that I'm turning into a plant? Neat!"
"Aren't you afraid?" Patrick asked. "We don't know what is going on. You could end as an unmoving tree!"
Ryan was shocked of Patrick's last comment. By the look on his face, he really hadn't considered that probability and now some concern can be seen on his expression. He desperately tried to take off his feet from the ground and began to yell for Patrick's help. Patrick saw the despair in his friend's face and thought that it could be a good idea after all, but when he approached to him, he heard some footsteps coming from behind.
"You're back!" Wyatt shouted as he approached to Patrick and Ryan. "I thought I won't see you until tomorrow. I was coming to see how your friend was doing with his mellowing."
"Patrick. Who is this guy?" Ryan asked.
"He's the watermelon guy I told you." Patrick answered. "He helped me to ground your feet when you're sick."
"And by the look on your skin, I can say it worked!" Wyatt said proudly. "I brought some friends with me. They were so excited to meet a new fruit partner."
"Fruit partner?" Patrick repeated. Almost immediately four more men arrive behind Wyatt each sporting a different fruit instead of their genitals. "Wow! Who are you?"
"Let me introduce you my gang. Chad, Ben, Anton, Hail, Ori and Paul." Wyatt said as he extended his arms. "We are the fruit men!"
"They are green." Ryan said.
"Yes, just like you." Anton said. "I see you had eaten some of my apples."
"Your apples?" Patrick repeated.
"Yes, I grew those from my last harvesting." Anton answered. "It has been one of my best seasons."
"You also ate a pear of mine." Paul said with his deep and harsh voice. "But you'll need some time until your pear becomes as big as mine! Hahahaha!" Patrick who was avoiding to see those naked men's genitals instinctively looked at Paul's groin. He has a huge and thick pear instead of his penis, it was covered by a huge amount of pubes like if it was normal genitalia. He was astounded of how weird it looks. "Impressive, isn't it?"
"Why do you sound so funny?" Ryan asked Paul.
"He's from Russia." Ori answered. "I'm from India, Hail is from Ireland and Chad is from Brazil. We used to be professional models but we have left that life to adopt a new one here in the nature."
"Oh, I haven't realized you where from around the world." Ryan said. "As all of you look green..."
"That's not a problem." Wyatt said and almost immediately all of the fruit men turned their green skins to normal ones. After that, it was clear that they're from different countries. "Now, do we look normal for you?"
"Not completely..." Patrick said as he pointed to their still fruit genitals.
"Oh, unfortunately those don't change." Wyatt replied. "But, hey! We're not complaining"
"What will happen with Ryan?" Patrick suddenly asked. "Will he be like you?"
"Of course!" Wyatt said. "But as he was too young for eating our fruits, he will go through a process..."
"Process? What kind of process" Patrick asked.
"By the way you look, I can asume you haven't experienced your metabolic growing, puberty if you want to call it that way." Chad said
"So..." Patrick said.
"So, your friend and you will go through it some time in the future, but as he now is part fruit..." Chad continued. "You know... plants grow... faster."
Patrick was trying to understand what Chad was meaning with that comment when Ryan began to yell in pain.
"My feet!! My legs!!" Ryan yelled. "They're burning!"
"It looks like his mellowing has begun!" Wyatt said happily. "Don't worry it doesn't hurt, except from the beginning."