12 Days of Sneeze (Superstitions), Day 7
This was a simple superstition that could go in a variety of directions, but given the nature of these ficlets, I decided to go for something that would appeal to us...
Danica was in the process of taking down her skirt for the day when she sneezed a sharp “Et-SHIEW!”, causing the skirt to slip from the hanger and fall to the floor. Grumbling, she bent down to retrieve it. She never enjoyed getting up in the morning, but today was particularly bad. The time had yet to “fall back”, so it was still dark when she woke up, and based on how cold the room felt when she got out of bed, it was going to be another grey, miserable day. Maybe it would even end up raining again, making her commute even less fun than usual.
Sighing heavily, Danica tried to get dressed as fast as possible so she could head to the kitchen and make herself some coffee and toast so she could warm up and fortify herself for the car, train, and bus rides ahead. But as she was pulling on her stockings, her nose tickled sharply, and she sneezed again, her head snapping forward with the force of it. “Hik-TISHHEEW!”
When her eyes opened again, she saw that the sneeze had also caused her to catch her nail on the nylon, causing a run in the stocking. Cursing, she stood up to grab another one, tossing the ruined one in the garbage can as she did so. She always made sure to budget some extra time in the mornings, but she hated minor delays like this, especially if they came from her own carelessness.
Once her stockings, skirt, and shoes were in place, Danica got to work on buttoning up her shirt. Just as she was doing up the ones over her clavicle, she sneezed yet again-“Up-KISSSHHHHEEEWW!!”-and felt one of her buttons come undone, though given her current luck, it had probably popped off the shirt. She could also feel her nose starting to run, and when she sniffed to keep the mess relatively contained while she went for a tissue, she noticed that it felt a little more painful than it normally did. And now that she was thinking about it, maybe that lingering dryness in her throat wasn't just due to being thirsty...
After blowing her nose, Danica made a beeline to the bathroom, where she retrieved a thermometer. Two minutes later, she was dialing her workplace. “Hello, Susan? I won't be coming into work today, and I don't know if I'll be coming in tomorrow, either. It looks like I'm coming down with a c...Kip-SHEEWW!”
“Bless you,” Susan said sympathetically, “Given your attendance record, I would have believed you anyway, but that clinched it. Feel better soon.”
“Thanks,” Danica said with a sniff, “See you in a day or two, then.”
After she hung up, Danica grabbed an extra blanket, a fresh box of tissues, and two water bottles, then returned to her bedroom. Changing back into her pajamas, she climbed back under the covers, which had gotten cold during her aborted morning routine. But she didn't really care; they'd warm up again eventually, and given that it was only now just starting to get light, there was a good chance she'd fall asleep quickly, meaning she wouldn't have to put up with it for too long. She sighed and snuggled down into the bed, closing her eyes. As unfun as the next week of coughing and sneezing was going to be, at least she'd get to sleep in for a few days. Maybe she'd even be able to wake up when it was actually light out.
From an unknown source: Sneezing while getting dressed in the morning means bad luck.
Danica was in the process of taking down her skirt for the day when she sneezed a sharp “Et-SHIEW!”, causing the skirt to slip from the hanger and fall to the floor. Grumbling, she bent down to retrieve it. She never enjoyed getting up in the morning, but today was particularly bad. The time had yet to “fall back”, so it was still dark when she woke up, and based on how cold the room felt when she got out of bed, it was going to be another grey, miserable day. Maybe it would even end up raining again, making her commute even less fun than usual.
Sighing heavily, Danica tried to get dressed as fast as possible so she could head to the kitchen and make herself some coffee and toast so she could warm up and fortify herself for the car, train, and bus rides ahead. But as she was pulling on her stockings, her nose tickled sharply, and she sneezed again, her head snapping forward with the force of it. “Hik-TISHHEEW!”
When her eyes opened again, she saw that the sneeze had also caused her to catch her nail on the nylon, causing a run in the stocking. Cursing, she stood up to grab another one, tossing the ruined one in the garbage can as she did so. She always made sure to budget some extra time in the mornings, but she hated minor delays like this, especially if they came from her own carelessness.
Once her stockings, skirt, and shoes were in place, Danica got to work on buttoning up her shirt. Just as she was doing up the ones over her clavicle, she sneezed yet again-“Up-KISSSHHHHEEEWW!!”-and felt one of her buttons come undone, though given her current luck, it had probably popped off the shirt. She could also feel her nose starting to run, and when she sniffed to keep the mess relatively contained while she went for a tissue, she noticed that it felt a little more painful than it normally did. And now that she was thinking about it, maybe that lingering dryness in her throat wasn't just due to being thirsty...
After blowing her nose, Danica made a beeline to the bathroom, where she retrieved a thermometer. Two minutes later, she was dialing her workplace. “Hello, Susan? I won't be coming into work today, and I don't know if I'll be coming in tomorrow, either. It looks like I'm coming down with a c...Kip-SHEEWW!”
“Bless you,” Susan said sympathetically, “Given your attendance record, I would have believed you anyway, but that clinched it. Feel better soon.”
“Thanks,” Danica said with a sniff, “See you in a day or two, then.”
After she hung up, Danica grabbed an extra blanket, a fresh box of tissues, and two water bottles, then returned to her bedroom. Changing back into her pajamas, she climbed back under the covers, which had gotten cold during her aborted morning routine. But she didn't really care; they'd warm up again eventually, and given that it was only now just starting to get light, there was a good chance she'd fall asleep quickly, meaning she wouldn't have to put up with it for too long. She sighed and snuggled down into the bed, closing her eyes. As unfun as the next week of coughing and sneezing was going to be, at least she'd get to sleep in for a few days. Maybe she'd even be able to wake up when it was actually light out.
From an unknown source: Sneezing while getting dressed in the morning means bad luck.