Three (F)

[High on Lullabies]

Another thing born from a drabble prompt which involved into well...something a bit longer. Bit of an odd concept, but I hope you think it works Huge thanks to Sigrith for beta-ing and helping convince me to continue when I really wasn't sure it was such a good idea

With apologies to William Shakespeare...

Kate waited in the dark, her heart beating with woodpecker-like intensity against her chest. "Opening night…" she thought, "No going back now". She held out a hand to one of the two women standing close to her and felt a firm, comforting grip meet it. The loose fitting material of her costume was cool and smooth over her skin as she moved.

A huge roll of thunder sounded all around them, instantly drowning the faint drone of a thousand conversations on the other side of the curtain, followed immediately by a brilliant flash of white light, momentarily illuminating the dark lumps of scenery around them.

Too busy going over her lines in her head one final time, Kate forgot the flash was coming and it took all of her will not to cry out as it burned right to the back of her eyes. Temporarily blinded, she blinked furiously as the thunder sounded again and felt tears prickling and then spilling over.

Her nose had begun tickling as well and she raised a hand surreptitiously to rub at it and then shield her eyes from the next blinding flash. "One to go…"

With a gentle hiss, smoke began to rise around the three figures. As soon as her already itching nose caught its scent, Kate knew she was in trouble. It was a musty aroma and it immediately began to make the itch in her nose get worse.

Thunder boomed all around them once more as Kate frantically rubbed with her free hand to try and make herself feel less on the edge of a sneezing fit, with little success. The smoke climbed higher, enveloping them almost entirely. Kate held her breath, a last vain attempt to hold back the inevitable. At that moment came the third flash and simultaneously the curtains were thrown back revealing a sea of darkness.

"Het-chiiush!"

Kate doubled over as a powerful yet feminine-sounding sneeze tore out of her. Some stifled giggling came from the black sea of faces beyond the stage immediately drowned out as her fellow actress showed remarkable composure given what had just happened:

"When shall we three meet again" she intoned, "in thunder, lightning or in rain."

Kate anxiously tried to prepare for her first line. She tried to ensure her voice would sound normal when she spoke, praying she wouldn't sneeze again. Her nose still tickled furiously as even the gentlest breaths drew more of the artificial smoke into her nostrils.

"When the hurly-burly's done, when the battle's lost and won" came the voice from beside her; wicked and tinged with just a hint of madness.

Kate pressed the index of her free hand hard against the base of her nose as the last words left her friend's lips, swallowing hard to try and remove all trace of the desperate urge, even if only for a few seconds.

"That will be 'ere the set of sun"

Her voice sounded small and hollow compared to the others but at least it hadn't hitched and at least she hadn't sneezed. It was a small victory. Her friend squeezed her hand reassuringly and Kate started to believe she might get through the rest of the short scene unscathed before the feeling suddenly returned even more intense than before, a reminder she couldn't let her guard down for a moment.

"Where the place?" asked the first voice.

She rubbed at her nose furiously, sniffling and feeling it twitch beyond her control, completely under the influence of the smoke. She tried breathing through her mouth but this only succeeded in making her feel like coughing. And the smoke; twisting, irritating tendrils of it snaked their way into the back of her nose, tickling places far beyond the influence of frantic efforts to make it stop.

"Upon the heath"

She wasn't sure what would come out when she opened her mouth this time, but I have to try, she thought:

"There to...m-meet with..." she began, her voice quavering as her body tried hard to redirect the air she was using to speak for another purpose entirely. As she felt her body pass the point of no return she used a last wrench of will to deliver the final word:

"...Macbeth"

A brilliant flash illuminating the hill-top scene as Kate doubled-over with another huge sneeze:

"Hii-chissh!"

It was embarrassingly high-pitched and desperate but, mercifully for her, muffled by the thunder roaring all around them at that moment.

She clamped her free hand over her nose and stifled the 3 further releases that quickly followed:

"Hii-umff! Hei-mfff! HII-ch-mfff!"

She felt light-headed and swayed slightly. Another strong squeeze of the hand steadied her but did nothing to satisfy her nose, which now burned with irritation, made all the worse through being denied the chance to expel the acrid vapour within. She scrubbed under her nostrils again, trying to find any kind of relief as the scene quickened pace:

"I come, Graymalkin"

Kate's breath hitched without any semblance of control as another sneeze built inside her. She was now utterly powerless to stop herself and couldn't stifle either as she had to attempt to speak again after the next line:

"Paddock calls"

Her attempt to say the simple word that was hers only served to vocalise the impending explosion:

"A....ahh...ah-chisssh! Anon"

Letting the first sneeze out had given her a chance to say the line, which came out as a strange-sounding gasp, but had also given her nose another chance to rid itself of the smoke; a chance which this time it refused to be denied. Kate's breath hitched wildly and she sneezed again and again; her releases punctuating the rhythmic chanting of the other two.

"Fair is foul ("Hei-chi'ush!") and foul is ("Hei-chissh!") fair, hover through ("heh...hah...Hii-chiush!") the fog and ("Ha-chissh!") filthy ("heh....heeeh...") air."

"HEI-Ishooo!"

A final great flash silhouetted two figures raising their hands and looking to the sky in triumph while the third looked crestfallen, head slumped and hand clamped over her mouth and nose. One final huge sneeze tore out of her, almost as loud as the final crack of thunder rolling around the theatre, bending her double as she and her fellows fled from the stage.

"HEI-CHUSH!"

~Curtain~

[Chanel_no5]

Interesting! I happen to enjoy Macbeth as it is, and I think I would definitely love to see a play like THAT!!! Great story, and yes, the concept certainly works!

[NoV]

Love the way she gradually loses control Plus the interesting photic/smoke combo - just the thought of what sort of crazy effect that could have on her nose...

[Vetinari]

Oooh, now that's wicked!

Nice story HoL!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Very epic dear. Descriptions are delicious as always, superbly described.

Hmm... well, if old Will doesn't like it, he... he... might not have a sneezing fetish... but really, awesome story.

[count tiszula]

Brilliant idea, brilloly executed! Happy memories of O level Eng Lit, and indeed the school play when I was about six, and the main idea seemed to be setting off thunderflashes whenever possible.

Aroynt thee, witch, the rumpfed runion said.....

[High on Lullabies]

Aww thanks so much everyone Really glad you enjoyed reading