Something Sharp

This one is kind of a mash-up of the faves “Woman” and “Summer Night.” For those 18 people that split the vote, this is all your fault.

 Carlie walked down to the beach, again checking her neck.  Yes, it was still attached, no apparent damage.

 This whole thing started last night, as she was getting out of the shower.  It seemed okay at the time, but she slipped, fell…

 And her head came off as she hit the railing.

 She panicked, not knowing what to do, tried to get it all together, wondering how she was going to get to the hospital until she pushed her head back on her neck and felt it come back together.  Last night, she had the greatest dreams, feeling so good as she woke up this morning.

 Did her head really come off?  There was no other explanation except that it did, and she was able to control her body, even with it separated.  So what could have happened?

 That’s why she was on the beach today.  It seemed safe, this early.  As she looked around, nobody seemed to be there.  But that wouldn’t last long.

 Yes, her head was firmly reattached, but Carlie had a different goal.  Ever since she could remember, the first magic trick she’d seen was a woman getting sawn in half.  It seemed so glamorous, and the girl in the box didn’t seem to mind having her hips and torso separated.

 She knew she could survive with her head cut off, but she so wanted to know.

 As she found a good spot to spread her towel, she reached into her bag, pulling out her choice of sharp cutting implement.  It wasn’t much, just her large carving knife.  She laid down on the towel, looking up at the sky.

 The thoughts and worries came fast.  What if it was just a fluke?  What if she’d been hallucinating that her head had come off?  What if she really ended up hurting herself?

 Carlie quieted her mind, gulping a huge gulp of air as she brushed the sharp edge of the knife on her waist.  A brief spasm of pain flashed through her, a bit intense, but it subsided quickly.

 She sliced, feeling the pain again, a bit more sharply, but she also felt something else, something she hadn’t expected.  With her other hand, she reached down, brushing her fingers along where she was cutting.

 Yes, the knife was inside her flesh, she could feel the blade in her, but also felt no blood.  She knew that, if it wasn’t working, she’d have a lot of pain right now and blood.  None of it was there.

 Encouraged by that, she sliced again.  No pain this time, so she sliced again and again.  Then another sensation hit her out of nowhere, something she hadn’t expected.

 She felt good.  It confused her for a moment because she hadn’t felt that when her head came off, but, she reasoned, it was probably because she was in a panic.  She kept slicing, the good feelings coming in stronger with each slice.

 It wasn’t too long before she knew she was probably going to have a bit more of a time going through her backbone, but everything else seemed to be working okay.  She kept going, scraping her spine.

 The feelings exploded through her nearly divided body, such fantastic feelings as she knew she was cutting through her spine.  It was a combination of a warm bath, the most delectable chocolate and making love all at the same time as she finished cutting through.

 The feelings continued at she completed the operation.  She lay there for a moment, having those intensely good sensations going all through her.  She wiggled her toes and, yes, even though she knew her body was now in two pieces, she seemed connected still.  It felt so surreal.

 She pulled herself apart, amazed again.  So weird but so awesome at the same time.  She set her upper half up on the stump, feeling that strange sensation of having a towel where her body used to be.  Experimentally, she rolled her lower half over, figuring out, quickly, how to get up on her knees.

 As she did so, she saw the strange skin that seemed to cover the cut end of her lower half.  She hesitated a moment before she reached out and briefly touched it.

 Tender, even a little ticklish, she brushed it again, enjoying the sensation.

 Sure, it wasn’t easy to maneuver like this.  Her body wasn’t used to being in halves.  Still, she managed fairly well, getting a little sun where no skin used to be.  That was, until she heard some kids.

 It wouldn’t do, not yet.  She quickly rearranged herself to be able to push her waist back together, another intense wave of emotion flooding her as she did so, and gathered her things, hiding the knife.  She’d have to find something else to do it later.

 That night, as Carlie was relaxing, getting ready for bed, she had to wonder.  Those feelings she’d had, earlier, being cut in half, hadn’t entirely left her.  If she’d had such wonderful dreams just from having her head off and immediately reattached, she wondered what she could do if she managed to sleep in halves.

 She retrieved the knife as she lay down on her bed, ready to see about this one.