Warts

Marcia is a vain teenage girl, obsessed with looks. But who can blame her? Blonde, slim, flawless, Marcia is the definition of modern beauty standards. When she goes to school, people part for her and stare in awe as she graces them with her presence. She plans to be the centre of attention at the Year 12 formal. To do this, she needs the perfect date, the perfect dress, and to be perfect herself. Her only problem: she has a wart on her finger. She is told by her mother, Fiona, and her best friend, Lucy, to leave the wart alone but Marcia needs to be perfect, and her date wouldn’t want to hold a hand with a wart on it. That wouldn’t be perfect. So she takes a razor blade and cuts the wart off. Thinking the problem has been solved, she finds a date and continues her search for the perfect dress, but her problem is far from over. The warts spread to her legs. When she goes to school, people part for her and whisper behind her back. She’s not perfect anymore. Even her date can’t help but stare, though not out of desire. Out of disgust. Marcia takes the only course of action she knows. She removes the warts from her legs, brutally, with a razor. But that only makes it worse. When Lucy comes to comfort her, Marcia doesn’t want her help. The warts have spread to her face now, and even Lucy recoils from them. Marcia pushes her only friend away and is left alone with the warts. But she can’t stand them. So she removes them. She’s tried razor blades, she’s tried a shaving razor. She needs something better. She finds a brand new cheese grater. It carves the warts off in bloody streaks. On the night of the formal, Lucy comes to apologise for the way she left Marcia, but instead of finding Marcia on her bed she finds her on the floor. Marcia reveals what she’s done to her face. It’s a bloody mess. But the warts are gone.