Thursday, August 25, 2011

Hunger

The first cut was the sweetest sight to behold.The smooth white skin, a line of red forms in the middle and then like a glorious fountain the blood gushes out.Blood is messy, tough to clean. But without this much blood , the art of cutting flesh has no beauty in it. There is no challenge.Cutting up someone without fear of them dying of blood loss. Avoiding major blood vessels and cutting deep and sharp.It was messy at first but through practice she had perfected this art.
Today it was the delicacy - the fingers.Long, beautiful and delicate, them are one of the tastiest morsels you can find.Taste comes at a price though, they are tough to cut up cleanly.There must be the right amount of meat and the right amount of bone, just like chicken.It was not the fingers alone which captured her attention.The fingers first and then along with them,the meaty hand.Till wrist would serve as the best appetizer she had cooked in a while. Although she preferred some parts raw, experience had taught her that cooking the fingers and hands imparts a specific flavor and taste to them that is unparalleled.With her hands quivering with anticipation, she watched as the blood drained from her first cut.And she felt really good, for the first time in months.
Blood finally stopped.Now it was time for the cutting to start. Glistening butcher knives were arranged neatly by her side. She selected the sharpest one among them, the cuts have to be clean and precise. When it started, the hand always gave her trouble, it was tough to get a clean cut. But then once in an inspired moment she discovered the secret. The hand is just like a carrot...you cut from one end fast and not stopping and then carry on till the end.In 2 minutes, it was ready. It was surprising to see that it took her this long to figure this out but today she was going to be at her best. This time there would be no mistakes.The knife came down on the fingers with a "swoosh". And a precise delicate piece of finger just jumped off seperated on the table. Blood spurted out, washing her face and hair. The sweet coppery taste of blood excited her. The primal instincts arose..like a maniac she started chopping. Each stroke precise and measure, and with no hesitation. She had to stop herself at the wrist, it was feeling so good to just continue chopping. But she knew that she must stop, the wrist and rest of the arms are for later in the day, not now. All around were pieces of flesh that once formed a hand.
Licking off the blood from her lips she started cleaning the pieces. Her own skill amazed her, the pieces were neat crisp and clean.She preferred cooking them with the nails on, they can be removed later. Dumping the bloodied knife in the bowl she arranged the pieces on the now cleaned cutting board. It was difficult to see the pattern but it somehow resembled carrots rather than human fingers.Various receipes flashed through her mind about what to make them into today. She tried getting the pieces into the over. Keeping the door open with one hand, she reached for the bowl but instead she knocked it over.A curse escaped from her lips.In that moment, she became just another normal woman cursing her clumsiness,but then it happened. That moment of normalcy is all it took to make her jump back in horror at that single thought...
" How am I supposed to cook with only one hand now ? "