text: He cut the skin of his arm. The ribbons of blood coming out of his flesh. It was the only way he could enjoy himself. He felt a certain vivid arousal at the pain. He was enamored at himself. Ednos then, was peeling the skin from his leg.As the blood dripped slowly from him, he could feel the rush of the pain grow. In Ednos’ abode, he was in the bathroom, feeling the beauty of his own self punishment as he pushed the knife into his leg. He then wrapped the leg in bandages, his feelings of sorrow as he dropped the knife onto the tiled floor. Ednos felt weak. He wanted to feel strength, but there was only weakness. He exited the bathroom and entered the hall to his bedroom. In his bedroom of sterile white walls and tiled floors, with nothing but a bed to keep him company. He was sure that he could feel a numbness in his own body as he slept in his robe. As the day began, he took off his robe and made his coffee. He wanted to pretend like it was any other day in the kitchen, despite his intense stares at the knives in his knife stand. He wanted to feel something, even the burning of the coffee in his throat would feel comforting to the pain of being as lonely as he was. He went back to the bathroom and grabbed the knife. His hand twitched from the intense yearning of the pain again.He wanted more, but it took all his power to put the knife back on the knife stand. As he went to the living room, he noticed a portal. He stood there and stared at the beauty of a portal, unsure of what to do with it. He put a hand through the portal, and felt fine. He entered fully into the portal and found himself in a void. This void was as empty as Ednos’ life towards the world. He wanted to find someone-anyone- in this empty void, but all he could find was another version of himself. He wasn’t alone anymore. He could feel his replica hug him. The strings of his heart sing with a feeling of warmth, of a home within himself. His nude replica could heal the wounds on his body. His clone, voiceless in his mannerisms, had decided to take Ednos back to the portal. Ednos wanted to stay in the void with his replica, but the replica resisted. Ednos, waving bye at this nameless being, went through the portal, back to his own life. Ednos wondered if any of it was real, as he drifted off back to sleep in his bedroom. As he woke up, his replica sat there on his bed, his body glistening as though he were made of glass and plastic. Ednos was amazed that the replica was even there. He wanted to feel the nameless being's skin for himself. He put his hand across the replica’s face and could feel the sleekness of the replica’s skin. Ednos got up from his bed and looked to see if the portal was still there. It wasn’t. Ednos carried his clone to the kitchen. He could not help kissing his replica as he sat the replica in a chair. He wanted to feel the warmth and homely feeling of that hug he had felt. Preparing coffee, he felt a euphoric feeling within himself as he got the coffee grounds. As the coffee immediately came out of the coffee maker, he gave the first cup to his replica. The replica didn’t drink any of it. Curious, Ednos showed his replica how to drink it. The clone still hadn’t drunk any of it, instead spilled some of it on himself. Shocked, Ednos tried to clean his clone up with napkins, but to no avail. Carrying his replica, he decided to go to the bathroom with him. Ednos prepared a bath for the replica. The water was bubbly and warm, like being in a womb. Ednos put himself in the bath with the replica. Washing him, Ednos carefully cleaned the clone's face, then his back and chest. As the bubbles disappeared into the waves of the bath, Ednos moved on to the replica’s feet and legs, and then cleaned his groin. Ednos and the replica both sat in the bath together as the water went into the sink. Ednos then dried the replica off, then himself. Ednos laid his clone down on the bed, and put some clothes on himself, first. He put on some pants and a T-shirt, but He wasn’t sure what clothes to put on the replica, but ultimately decided to let the replica wear a nightgown. The replica touched Ednos’ face. They share an embrace, The replica putting his arms around Ednos and Ednos doing the same to him. This embrace was different than that healing hug in the void, it felt like Ednos’ heart was whole. The clone and Ednos laid themselves on the bed. They both felt a certain melding of minds as they laid there. Their bodies relaxed onto the bed, as they felt a closeness few have felt before. Ednos felt more strength being with the replica than he had ever felt from the pain of hurting himself. It was as though the replica gave him an enhanced mind as well as an enhanced body from their time of being together. Ednos could feel tears of relief come into his eyes as he felt the replica’s hand. Ednos gripped The replica’s hand tight as they laid there on the bed. The replica dried the tears streaming off his cheek as they laid there. The clone and Ednos get up from the bed, and they go outside. It was a gentle, rainy day outside. Dreary yet humid, Ednos and the replica enjoy the rain together. Ednos noticed the replica was a far more beautiful being than Ednos could ever be. He was unsure of what the replica was, but he knew there was something otherworldly about his healing abilities. The replica stood there, his hands open palms, feeling the rain. As Ednos went over to the bench outside, his clone followed suit. Ednos, for once, felt a certain happiness that he couldn’t have felt without the replica’s help. Ednos sat there on the bench, with the replica. The rain began to loosen up as the two sat on the bench. Ednos, happier than he had ever felt before, had kissed the replica once more. The replica felt warm to Ednos’ lips. The replica kissed Ednos back, Ednos’ body becoming more excited with each touch of his lips. Ednos and the replica went back inside their house. Ednos wondered if the portal was ever going to come back, but it never did. Ednos sat on the couch with the replica, his hands in the replica’s hair. He felt truly fulfilled to have the replica in his life. No more hurting himself, no more loneliness, no more pain. It was everything he could have ever wanted.