Hunger had become unbearable. It had been three days since I had touched any food. I had no other choice. I took a sharp knife from the kitchen and went to my room. I sat on the floor and bent over my left leg to have better control over the task. With my left hand, I grabbed tightly just above my ankle, and with my right hand, using the knife in a sawing motion, I cut into my ankle, and fortunately, I reached the bone very quickly. Several times, I gathered all my strength in my hand and tried to break the bone with heavy blows, but I didn’t succeed. The gap I had made on my leg was too narrow, and the knife strikes, instead of hitting the target, would hit the surrounding flesh or mistakenly strike the ankle bone. At first, I tried to widen the gap a bit by cutting more flesh to make the job easier, but suddenly, a better idea struck me. I dragged myself to the kitchen and took a cleaver from the second drawer of the cabinets. I could no longer endure that hunger. I held my breath and broke the bone with a few solid blows. Until my ankle was completely detached, I cut through the remaining flesh sloppily and messily. As I was eating the last toe, which had the taste of a sorrowful longing, I decided not to be so clumsy next time: I would first cut the flesh all around the bone and then portion it out with a few strikes of the cleaver. As soon as I got myself to bed and closed my eyes, I fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I saw it. It was impossible to say whether it was an arm or a leg. It was a boneless but fleshy arm that had protruded from above my navel. It was about fifty centimeters long, and when I relaxed its muscle, its flesh would settle in rolls, layer upon layer, and tilt slightly to one side. That day, I didn’t understand what it was good for. After weighing it up for a bit, I stopped worrying about it and went for the remainder of my left leg; I portioned it from the knee down according to the exact method I had committed to memory, and ate until nightfall. The next day, another arm just like the previous one had emerged from my abdomen. Two others also appeared in the days that followed. By then, I had completely eaten both of my legs, and I gradually realized what my new limbs were good for. I could use them to jump from place to place like a spring. Now, the only problem I feel concerns my field of vision. Given my new way of moving, I sometimes have trouble seeing my surroundings. But I know the solution well. Today, I want to eat my eyes.
September 2022