The Watermelon King by Daniel Wallace. Short summary

5 seconds

The people of the town of Ashland hold an annual ritual of male chastity sacrifice to improve the watermelon crop. And just as Ashland arrived, an 18-year-old virgin, Tom Ryder, arrives. But he manages to escape.

1 minute

Ashland was considered the «capital of watermelons. Its inhabitants believed that they owed their magnificent harvest to an annual rite. The old woman who lived in the swamp could sense the oldest virgin in the town. He was called the Watermelon King.

The ritual involved the sacrifice of male chastity. Wearing a crown of watermelon peel, the king was brought to the field. At the same time, 3 chosen women gathered in a hut where there was a basket of watermelon seeds. One of them was gold.

The women scooped out the seeds by handfuls. The one that got the gold one was taken to a young man in the field.

Tom Ryder comes to Ashland. His mother Lucy came here 18 years ago and died giving birth to him. He asks around about Lucy Ryder to the residents. Everyone talks about his mother’s beauty, but immediately turns to watermelons. Only the semi-literate Eaggley speaks of her with love and tenderness.

Tom realizes that the residents have chosen him as a victim. After all, after Lucy Ryder, the watermelon crop has fallen. Iggley sets fire to the town, and Tom flees from it.