December 28, 1999 1:59 PM


An SRU story. All the usual disclaimers and legalese apply. Any and all comments are welcome.
 Please feel free to post this story on any free site.

Hope you all enjoy...

SRU: The Boy with Bumps on His Face

By JDCopyhack


Danny Marsden shuffled through the mall, which bustled with customers returning their broken or 
unwanted Christmas gifts. It was the day after Christmas, and Danny clutched in his hand a copy 
of Britney Spear's CD, which his parents had given to him as a stocking stuffer.

Britney Spears? What were they thinking, Danny mused. She's cute and all, but way too tame. Danny
 liked his music with a harder edge, and had hoped to get the new Nine Inch Nails CD. Besides, 
Christina Aguilera was cuter than Britney.

The music store was packed and the return line was about 20 people deep, so Danny decided to 
check out the new CD's before standing in line. As he held the Nine Inch Nails CD in his hand, 
two girls walked by, one was whispering to the other.

"Geez, look at his face. Kinda like he was gouged with nine inch nails."

The other girl laughed at her friends cruel quip as they continued browsing the rack. At 17, with
 a severe case of cystic acne, Danny heard dozens of comments like that every day. Classmates 
often taunted him, calling him "Pizza Face," and once when he went away as part of a school 
convention, his roommates waited till he fell asleep then played "connect the dots" on his face, 
drawing a crude picture.

Danny had grown accustomed to the comments and abuse, but that didn't mean it still didn't hurt. 
While acne is a part of most every teenager's life, Danny suffered from more than just a bad case
 of zits. He would develop large, painful cysts in the most obvious of places. They would swell 
for two weeks, oozing blood and puss, before subsiding, usually leaving a deep, visible scar in 
its place. And the condition wasn't confined to his face. His shoulders, arms, and back were also
 affected.

The dermatologists tried numerous treatments, but only succeeded in offering temporary relief. 
Embarrassed at how he looked, Danny retreated into himself. He would spend hours in his room, 
reading science fiction novels or exploring the Internet. He especially liked the chat rooms 
where he could meet others his age and not be afraid of how they might react to his looks. He 
made many friends, especially a girl named Angela.

She was smart and funny, and seemed genuinely interested in him. They could chat for hours and 
e-mailed each other regularly. She even sent him a photo one day and he couldn't believe how 
pretty she was. Danny returned a photo of his own that he had scanned, but before doing so, he 
opened it in Photo Shop and removed the ugly blemishes. "Why couldn't I do this in real life," he 
grumbled before saving the new picture and sending it to his friend.

To his delight, Angela wrote back and told her friend how cute she thought he was. No girl had 
ever called him cute before and for a brief moment, Danny felt mildly triumphant.

That was several weeks ago, before Danny made the mistake of sending another, unaltered photo to 
Angela. He hadn't heard from her since, and any attempt to contact her was greeted with an 
"unknown user" message.

Danny fumbled with the new CD in his hand, but decided against getting in the long line. Too much 
indignity for one day, he figured, so he headed back into the mall. Maybe he'd check out the 
comic book shop and see if they have the newest Batman before heading back home and to the safe 
confines of his room.

As he approached the shop, he noticed a new shop tucked in the corner across the way. Unlike the 
flashing neon of the comic shop, the new shop hung a simple wooden sign out front. It said: 
Spells R Us. Must be a novelty shop, Danny thought as he approached the unusual shop, the mall is
 loaded with them, especially this time of year.

When Danny entered the store, he expected to see shelves filled with fake vomit and screaming 
golf balls. Instead, he found countless rows of dusty wooden shelves stocked hundreds of unusual 
artifacts. Nothing in the store appeared to be new, but each item was uniquely fascinating. There 
were gold medallions and silver coins with ancient writing on them. Vials filled with a rainbow 
of colors and several racks filled with what appeared to be Halloween costumes.

"May I help you, young man?"

Danny turned around to see an old man with a long white beard wearing a tattered blue bathrobe.

"I, um..."

"Oh, Danny it's you. Glad you could finally make it down this far into the mall."

"But, how do you know my name."

"Simple, I'm a wizard."

"Um, yeah, right. Look, I gotta go."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Well, no. I mean, there are no such things as wizards, except in storybooks."

"I see, so I guess I need to perform some sort of magic trick to get you to believe, huh? Okay, 
so be it."

With that, the wizard held out his right hand, muttered a few words, and POOF... a puff of black
 smoke billowed around his hand. When the smoke cleared, the wizard was holding a 20oz bottle of
 Diet Coke.

"So, now do you believe me," he asked between sips.

Danny was startled, but couldn't deny what he had just witnessed.

"H... h...how?"

"Like I said, I'm a wizard. Now tell me, is there something in my store that interests you?"

Danny had little use for such junk, but he was curious.

"Let me ask you, do you have a cure for this," he asked as he pointed to his pockmarked face.

"Hmmm, I see. Have you tried Clearasil?"

"That's it, I'm outta here," Danny said storming toward the front door.

"Danny, wait, it's just that I'm a little out of touch with this sort of thing. Most people come 
in here looking for fame or fortune. Your's is a much more humble request. I'm not used to that."


"Trust me, I've tried everything. The doctors have tried everything. Besides, now it's too late. 
Look at me, I am so damn ugly. No one wants to look at me."

"I see, I may have just the thing."

The wizard disappeared into the back room for several minutes. When he returned, held a small 
tube of ointment in his hand.

"Here, try this. Just apply it before going to bed and soon your problems will be all cleared 
up."

The wizard chuckled at his little pun, while Danny stared at the tube.

"How much?"

"I'm feeling benevolent today. Five dollars and we'll call it even."

Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out four singles and a handful of change, then handed 
the money to the wizard. He received the tube in return, thanked the old man, and then stepped 
back into the mall. Bedtime couldn't come soon enough.

*****
The next day...

Danielle Marsden walked confidently through the mall, her long brown hair bouncing playfully atop
her shoulders while her pert breasts jiggled with each step. Through full painted lips, she 
smiled teasingly at the admiring glances that greeted her every move.

The CD store was her first stop. She just had to return that Britney Spears CD before she 
vomited. She couldn't believe her parents would give her such a thing. Didn't they know that 
Britney's boobs were so fake? But Danielle found it easy to forgive her parents considering the 
pretty dresses and jewelry they gave her for Christmas.

Now, if she could just decide which CD she wanted, Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync...

The End