Page 48 - Digital Cornice Grade 9

SLAM

The Terrifying Thought

By: Mini Tamang

It was a hot sunny day.
And she was just lying in bed,

Daydreaming about random scenarios.
When suddenly her mom called for her,
And asked her to accompany her to the market.
Very reluctantly and only after
A lot of prodding did she agree to go.
Her mom was unaware of the self consciousness
Hidden, under her daughter’s peaceful pretty smile.

Ten minutes into the market,
The girl was in the worst place possible.
Without a mask, she felt exposed. Hoping they would magically disappear.
All it did was turn a bright crimson red.
Obviously, people were staring at her pimples.
She avoided eye contacts Why is your face so red?” her father laughed.
And pulled her bangs down to cover her face..
Through the curtain of her hair, “It’s not my fault, you won't take me to the
dermatologist!”she shouted.
She could see the faint outlines of people passing by.
To her, everyone seemed to be making way for her, Within seconds, she regretted her outburst,
Her father was obviously joking.
And glancing at her face askance.
To her, every second in the market felt like a burden. But those words hurt her,
Like a dagger to the heart.
Increasingly, it got harder for her to breathe.
It seemed to her that tons of people She drowned in pain and frustration.
were staring,
and staring, One year and 5 trips to the dermatologist later,
and staring , And a healthy dose of self love,
with their eyes wide open. She beamed at herself in the mirror.
Her acne seemed to glow with the sun, With pimples or without pimples,
Shining right in her bare face. She was beautiful.
She felt ugly, disgusting and unwanted.

After returning from the market,
She stormed off to the bathroom.
Looked at herself in the mirror
and sweating and fuming with anger,

She scrubbed her face,
With facewash as hard as she possibly could.
Tears streaming down her face,
She clawed at her pimple,