Kulugo ( wart or verucca )

             It was in 1972 when I noticed that a wart began to appear on my right thumb.   I scratched it because it was itchy and irritating. The following day, another wart appeared on my forefinger. These virus warts were live and watery, its thread-like matter when taken out can spread to other parts of my finger to form small warts that became bigger. It was painful and spread  to my middle finger. It left a mark on the registration form of the COMELEC. during my finger -printing . I could not hold the chalk well because, the more painful it was when I began writing on the chalkboard. The live wart spread on the other fingers. I was worried it might spread on my body.
            My mother saw my fingers and advised me to remove it. I must get some wilt banana leaf and stay outside during thunderstorm. I waited for bad weather everyday. Then one night, bad weather came. It rained so hard and there, the thunderstorm strike that it lightened the area. I remembered what my mother told me and I got the wilted banana leaf which I kept in one place.
             Although very much afraid, I stayed outside. The lightning did strike followed by a very loud sound of thunder. I brushed the banana leaf over the warts on my finger and threw the banana leaf at my back without looking at it. I did it three times at every sound of the thunder. At every brushing, I would utter, " Kulugo, go with the lightning. " Funny , right?    Then , I got inside.  The warts were still there. On the second day, I noticed that not a single wart was seen on my finger and I could no longer feel the pain. I showed my fingers to my mother and I thanked her for the advise .
             It may sound superstitious to anyone, but that was the treatment  which I passed on to my children in case of appearance of warts.