The Maid (F)

[NoV]

The Maid (F)

Carefully Marie arranged the breakfast tray, in strict accordance to her master’s wishes. Everything had to be just right, not a teaspoon out of place. She lightly peppered the egg, and gave the tray a final, critical appraisal. Then she straightened and brushed down her uniform, running her hands nervously over her trim figure.

Last time he had shouted at her. Somehow she had forgotten the milk jug, and his explosion of rage had terrified her. Today, everything must be perfect.

She lifted the tray and walked swiftly down the long hallway which led to the state rooms. Marie could never get over just how big the house was. Vast and old, dusty and opulent. A relic of another age and home to her reclusive master, who lived alone amid the faded splendor.

She pushed through a set of large oaken doors into one of the reception rooms. It stretched down one wing of the house, lined with soaring floor to ceiling windows through which the morning sun streamed in hazy brilliance. Dust motes danced in the sunlight, cavorting in and out of the beams that splashed across the antique furniture and ancient, moldering carpet.

Marie steeled herself. Last time she had passed through this room on such a bright morning, she had been almost incapacitated with a colossal sneezing fit. Some combination of the whirling dust and the sudden sunlight had triggered an outburst of staggering proportions, even for her. Her large nose started to twinge, nostrils flexing ever so slightly at the thought of it.

Marie was of Spanish descent, with large dark eyes and unruly black hair currently held more or less in place by her maids cap. She had moved to England two years ago, from her family farm in Spain. Sneezing was very much part of her life.

All the female members of her family suffered from giant sneezes brought about by sunlight. Her earliest memories were of waking to the sound of her mother’s earth-shattering sneezes from her parent’s room next door, as the sunlight struck her face at the opening of the curtains. The fit had usually gone on and on – at least fifteen full-bodied explosions before her mother’s nose had finally released its grasp on her.

But that was only the beginning of the household’s sneezes! Both of Marie’s older sisters suffered the same uncontrollable response to the morning sun. As all the sisters slept in the same room, Marie would hide under her blanket while her mother walked in and pulled aside the curtains, flooding the room with that sneezy sunlight, and bet on which sister would start sneezing first…

Marie’s sisters had both grown up statuesque and shapely, with flowing curves and a cascade of dark, lustrous hair. However, their sneezes were vastly different. Carolina, the eldest, had inherited her mother’s nuclear blast of a sneeze which struck out of the blue and just kept coming. They made the walls shake and rattle with their power, and made Marie hold her pillow over her head until they subsided.

Selena, the second oldest, had a completely different reaction. She would start to get the sneezy look, ever so slowly bringing her hands up to her nose. Her sneezes were slow-burning stealthy things, no less powerful but needing to be coaxed. Gradually Selena would start to make sounds, light gasps that grew exponentially, becoming louder and more urgent. Eventually it would become a series of falsetto shrieks that culminated in a resounding rapid-fire fit. Her bed would shake as she lay back and just let the sneezes keep on coming until she was spent, sometimes as many as twenty in a row. Occasionally there was another fit after that.

When both her mother and sisters got going together, the house would echo with a mix of powerful sneezes, gasps and expressions of exasperation. No wonder Marie’s father had always left for work before the sun rose.

Marie had always been acutely embarrassed by her family’s sneezes, and was glad there were no neighbors within earshot. She was glad she possessed a modest, unremarkable sneeze that only burst out when she was dusting or in response to over-peppering her food.

However, this was all to change. Shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Marie awoke as usual to what sounded like a bellowing scream behind the wall from her parent’s room. She buried her head in her pillow, and her mother entered with another colossal sneeze that sent her bending at the waist, her entire voluptuous body shaking with the size of its release.

She flung open the curtains with yet another sneeze, the three young women now well and truly awake. Light flooded the room.

Who was going to start sneezing first? Marie peeked out from under the blanket, first at Carolina who was blinking and sniffling slightly, and then at Selena who was sleepily rubbing her nose with anticipation. The sunlight pressed warm and bright upon Marie’s face.

Suddenly, something odd was happening inside her nose. There was a deep, tickling, tingling feeling that was working its way from her nostrils up into her sinuses. She began to feel her chest heave inside her plain cotton nightshirt, a weakness coursing through her. She realized that this was the beginnings of a sneeze, yet one unlike any she had ever felt before.

She was aware that on either side of her, her sisters were about to start their morning fits. Selena was starting her gasps, while Carolina was getting that faraway look that could only mean an imminent explosion. Their mother released another forceful sneeze on her way out of the room, leaving the sisters to their sneeziness.

Suddenly a sound filled the room. Marie realized that it was her – she was gasping utterly involuntarily, a series of high-pitched intakes of breath, each one louder and larger than the one before.

‘Haa….haaaa….haaaaaaa….HAAAAAAAA….’

‘Oh my goodness,’ Carolina whispered breathily. ‘Marie’s going to…’

‘HAAARIIIIIISSSSSSHHHOOOO!’

‘…sneeze!’

But Marie never heard her sister, for she was already convulsing with the intake of breath for her second explosion. The blanket was thrown back, her body bucking with the rhythmic inhalations that had only one outcome.

‘HAAAAARIIIIIISSSSSHHHOOOO!’

And then Selena started, followed swiftly by a titanic scream of a sneeze from Carolina. Coupled with their mother’s echoing sneezes from downstairs, the house rang with sound. Marie’s sneezing had come of age.

And with this very much in mind, Marie gripped the tray with extra tightness and started through the sunlight of the reception room with trepidation.

To be contined… (less back-story next time )

[Blah!?]

Aww, the backstory's adorable. I love how hopelessly sneezy all the sisters are.

Can't wait for part 2!

[MystermanX]

very nice...definitely can't wait for part 2...

[Chanel_no5]

Great story, hope for part 2 to come soon!

[Sneeze999]

Great story! Part 2 would be much appreciated!

[Leas]

A little request....can you add some 'bless yous'?

thank you

Fantastic start!!

[count tiszula]

Excellent stuff! Can't wait for her to start trying to hold back that enormousness....

Funny that her sneezes achieved enormousness when she was eighteen; I wonder which of the many things open to her then might have caused it..........though it is a time when many people discover new allergies.

[Pearlised]

Yes yes yes! love <3

your descriptions are lovely!

[Kiwifruit]

Oooh, I like this I like how her sneezes "came of age" I'm looking forward to the next part!!

And struggling not to sneeze because someone else will get mad...one of my favourite scenarios...

[sauce]

...and when is the anime adaptation going to air?

Seriously, though - keep up the great work~

[Mr. Black Cherry Berry Tea]

Wonderful as always! This may be my favorite plot from you yet! Will we possibly get to see the other sisters as well at some point...?

[BananaTree]

lol how fun. I wanna see more now plz

[Candy]

Charming beginning! Can't wait for more.

[zneeze]

NoV, you never fail to entertain us with your creative, original scenarios. Great work as always, thank you, and I'm looking forward to the next part

[sillystarsmoons]

This looks great. I can't wait for the next part.

[mistahpwn]

I think it may be my favourite story so far. Please continue, I can't wait either.

[NoV]

A much delayed part 2

The Maid (F) – Part 2

Marie hurried quickly through the room, passing swiftly in and out of the slanted beams of morning sunlight. The tray rattled as her heels clicked over the polished floor. She hardly dared breathe.

Filling her head were thoughts of sneezing: of the house and her sisters and mother, and the sound of colossal sneezes echoing off the wooden walls. A shuddery gasp escaped her, the warm pressure laced with incessant tingling was starting to wriggle its way into her nostrils.

No! If the sneezing started now she would be hard pushed to get them under control before the food went cold, giving her master yet another chance to shout at her. She bit her lip, trying desperately to form some form of metal block against the rising tide of sneeziness. More by luck than willpower she reached the end of the hall and pushed through into the next room.

To her horror, the housekeeper had already passed through this room, and had opened the curtains wide. The room danced with sunlight. It was too much for Marie to take. The familiar vibrations started in her body as every fiber prepared to launch into one of her crazy, uncontrollable fits. The tray wobbled dangerously in her hands as her head began to tilt jerkily back and forth, her high-pitched build up deafening to her ears.

‘Heeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh…..’

‘Miss Marie?’ The voice was stern and imperious, but Marie barely registered it. Her mouth had opened into its familiar scream, sneeze on its final approach. It was all she could do to balance the wildly clattering tray as her gargantuan sneeze erupted, a fine spray visible in the streaming sunshine.

‘HAAAARRRIIIIIIISSSSSSHHHHOOOOO!!!’

That was by no means to be the last of it. She was dimly aware of the swaying tray being removed from her hands as she helplessly wound up for her second thunderous expulsion. Her tight maids uniform seemed woeful inadequate to fully contain the heaving of her voluptuous form as she shuddered with gasp after gasp.

When it came, the sneeze ripped out of her – a high-pitched shriek that sent her head down in to her hands, her maids cap falling to the floor so that her hair swung loose in its silky cascade. The sneezes continued, a rapid-fire fit of five that caused her to shake and almost stamp her feet with sneezy frustration.

‘HAAARRIIIISSSHHHHOOOO….IISSSHOOO…IISSSHOOO…ISSHOO…ISHOO!!’

It was her traditional sneeze. If there were to be any more they would be sudden, sporadic affairs that would strike with no warning. They were her most dangerous, unpredictable sneezes, the ones she dreaded most.

She opened her tearing eyes to meet the disproving gaze of the housekeeper, Mrs. Compton. It was not the first time that Mrs. Compton had been the witness and saved her from causing some catastrophic mess from her sneezing. Despite mutually disliking each other, there had grown a core of respect between them, primarily as there were so few visitors. If they had not got on at least professionally, life would have been miserable indeed.

Mrs. Compton was staring at her now, the tray held firmly in her small, strong arms. She thrust out her chin at Marie.

‘You just about finished girl’ she said, somewhere between stern and exasperated. ‘You know you can’t go sneezing like that in front of the master. He’ll have your hide.’

Marie drew a tissue discreetly from her sleeve and blew her nose experimentally. There did not seem to be any further tickles worming their way through her sinuses, but that was not to say there were none lurking, growing, desperate for her to sneeze them out.

‘No, I think I’m fine,’ she muttered, stashing the tissue and taking the tray from Mrs. Compton in an attempt to muster her dignity. The old housekeeper grinned slyly to herself.

Marie tottered off down across the room, blinking her way through the harsh sunlight. If she was going to sneeze (and she was fairly convinced her fit was not completely over), it was not going to be in front of nosey Mrs. Compton! She pushed through the oaken doors into the next room. From here she knew that she was now within earshot of her master, who she could already picture propped up in his bed, greying hair tousled from sleep.

She crossed to the bedroom door, when her nose started to run ever so slightly. She froze, placed down the tray on a nearby table and frantically searched her sleeve for the tissue. This would not do! Halfway through pulling it out her body convulsed in a sudden, surprise sneeze.

Marie managed to half smother it in the tissue, clasping her whole sleeve to her mouth in an effort to muffle the explosion. She felt the blast of expelled air come bursting around her arm and fingers, a barely controlled shriek that seemed to cut through the still atmosphere of the ante room.

She cringed, her hands still clasped over her wriggling nose, expecting at any moment to hear the bellow of rage from within the bedroom. But there was nothing. Maybe he had fallen asleep, making her the luckiest maid in the world! With dainty steps, at any moment worried that a second sneeze would come roaring out of her chest, Marie crept up to the bedroom door and peered inside…

To be continued…

[Butch]

NoV - No apologies for the delay.. I am thrilled you updated this! It's such a great story.. Marie has some POWERFUL sneezes in her, doesn't she? Goodness. Can't wait for the next part.

[Anonymouse]

Wow this is great! I love the descriptions of her mother and sisters too. I like how you included what each of their sneezes sounded like, and how the two older sisters had such different sneezes. The scenario is perfect too! I can't wait for more.

[Sneeze999]

Absolutely amazing! Fantastic! This has to be one of the all-time classic sneeze stories, and if it isn't one now, then it will be! looking forward to the next installment, keep up the amazing work!

[sneezedreamer]

Glad to see an update! I somehow forgot to comment on the first chapter, but I think this story is incredible. Great work so far, keep it up when you get the chance, please!

[atessouhaits]

This is an amazing story! I love how powerful and uncontrollable her sneezes are Absolutely brilliant, keep it up!

[Sternuto]

Wish I could have grown up in that house!! 4 helpless, sneezing women?!?!

[mistahpwn]

Fantastic, as before. Are you going to continue with the story?

Thank you:)

[NoV]

The Maid – Part 3

Inside, the room was dark and musty. Through the gloom, Marie could see the outline of the bed. Holding her breath, she listened and heard the rhythmic exhalations of her master. He was still asleep.

Perfect! He could not have heard her thunderous sneezes that had erupted mere seconds ago. Marie almost giggled with relief. All she needed to do was put down the tray, pull aside the curtains (taking care to shield her sensitive nose from the sunlight of course) and leave the room before another of her high-decibel fits overtook her.

Quickly she retrieved the tray and crept across the thick rug, as quietly as she could. Almost there! She reached the master’s bedside, and placed the breakfast gently upon his table. The cup and saucer rattled ominously, and yet the sleeping figure did not stir.

Suddenly she heard a soft click. Marie spun around, and saw the door to the bedroom had swung gently shut in the soft, circulating air that flowed through the house. Her hand automatically brushed her hip where her keys should be, and found nothing. How could she have been so stupid! It was the first rule of working in the house – always, always carry your keys. The master was so paranoid that every door was self-locking, in some misguided attempt at security.

And then, just as she knew it would, the tickle came fluttering back into her nose. Her beautiful brown eyes flickered shut involuntarily, her hands tented instinctively over her tingling nostrils. She began to take vast, shuddering breaths that caused her chest to rise and fall inside her uniform. Her knees felt weak, her clothes suddenly too tight as she heaved in air to fuel what she knew would be inescapable.

‘Haaaaahh….Haaaaaaahhhh….HaaaaAAAH!’

She felt tears slide down her cheeks, knowing that this sneeze was most likely going to mean the end of her employment, and yet not being able to do anything to stop it. Like a colossal tidal wave, the sneeze came billowing up from deep in her lungs. She could not have been louder if she had screamed at the top of her voice.

‘HaaaaaaaAARRRRRRIIIISSHOOOO!’

The force of the sneeze bent her double, the full force of it exploding into her hands. Somehow, her uniform had managed to survive intact despite the spasmodic jerk her body had performed in delivering its sneezy blast.

But her master did not stir! She could feel her body throbbing with the need to sneeze again, and without warning she began to heave with gasp after gasp of air in preparation for a sneeze that seemed, if anything, to be building bigger than the one before.

Desperately she looked about; her vision shaky, her chest visibly heaving within her uniform. A thousand devilish tickles whirled around her nose, each one threatening to push her over the edge. Dimly she saw a door through her tears and stumbled towards it, her sneezy hitching filling the room with high-pitched gasps. A few more steps and she felt the cool brass of the latch in her hands, and as quickly as she could, she opened the door and slipped into the darkness beyond.

‘HaaaaaaAAAAA…’ The sneeze was gaining momentum, becoming an unstoppable, rising rush of sound. She felt that if she let it out, she could blast holes through the masonry, sending bricks tumbling and dust flying. In her mind’s eye, she imagined the mansion collapsing around her, leaving her convulsed with sneeze after sneeze amid the devastation.

Marie’s eyes were already squeezed shut in preparation. Her hands readied themselves, and in doing so, she felt something soft. In that instant, she realised where she was – her masters’ vast, walk-in wardrobe. She was surrounded by hanging vestments – his finest clothing.

She saw her only chance and took it. Scooping an armful of the clothes towards her, she allowed her sneeze to come bellowing out. She felt her mouth open wide, her large nose wrinkling and expanding as the first sneeze thundered out into the makeshift barrier of clothes. Despite smothering it, the sneeze still rang in her ears.

‘…HAAAARRRRUUMMPHHHH!!!!’

A surge of wind and wetness left her, her ears popping with the pressure and effort of containing it. She didn't even have time to open her eyes before the second sneeze was upon her, almost as violent as the first!

It was too much for poor Marie! Her knees buckled from the sheer force of her explosions and she sank down as a third sneeze rocked her forward as if violently praying.

‘HAAAAIIISSSSSHOOOO!!!’

She bobbed her head, almost hitting the floor as it convulsed her body. Please, she thought desperately. ‘Not a fourth, plea…’

‘aaaaAAAAAA…’

Marie, her uniform and hair in wild disarray, splayed awkwardly on the floor of the wardrobe, began to surrender to her fourth sneeze. She knew she was going to have to let go, to truly surrender in order to appease her insistently itching nose.

There was nothing she could do; the sneeze had her in its grasp. It demanded to be released in its full, magnificent form.

Marie’s head tilted back, a continuous rush of sound coming from her mouth as the sneeze mustered its full force. The clothes dropped to the floor as her arms fell slackly to her sides, as all of her energy was swallowed by the impending screamed release.

‘HaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAA…..’

Suddenly, something was under her wildly expanding nostrils; something rubbing firmly and insistently, something forcing the sneeze to back down slightly. A voice whispered in her ear, ‘Quick girl, come with me… Hold it in, you mustn’t let it go!’

The finger remained beneath her trembling nostrils and an arm guided her through the darkened wardrobe. Marie shook and gasped as the sneeze ran wild inside of her. She was being forced to duck and enter a damp tunnel that led out of the back of the wardrobe. There were many secret passages honeycombing the mansion. She heard a door click shut behind her.

Then she heard the voice again, the voice of the housekeeper Mrs Compton, her saviour. ‘Well girl – now’s as good a time as any to let that one go.’

It was like a trigger. Marie sneezed! It rang like a bomb through the confined space of the tunnel; a piercingly powerful scream of sheer release. Despite the ancient stone of the walls, the distant roar of the sneeze was heard in every room of the house, like far-off thunder.

In his bed, the master sipped his coffee, a contented smile on his face.

The End.