The Windowsill

[Septaero]

Joanna Clearwater was a 10-inch-tall faerie from toe to wingtip. She had wavy, long, deep-aurburn hair, the front of which she styled back loosely in two braids on either side of her head, and soft pale skin. Her face was just lightly freckled under her dark blue-green eyes, which were rimmed in thick brown lashes. Her clothing draped over her lithe body like a waterfall, if a waterfall were a green, blue, and purple dyed dress with tiny brass chain embellishments.

She had been out taking a fly, in much the way we humans like to take walks, when she'd happened upon the open window of a little cottage. Joanna delighted in open windows. Something about watching humans fascinated her. They were so big, and yet so similar to her. Watching them was almost soothing.

Joanna alighted on the windowsill on the inside of the house and sat with her hands draped loosely around her knees, which were bent slightly upward, surrounded by pretty little trinkets and figurines. She'd landed in a kitchen, which a slender, beautiful, exotic looking woman was cleaning. The woman had her back turned on the window and was wiping down a counter-top with a damp rag and some cleaning solution. Every time the woman turned towards the window, Joanna froze still as to not be seen. She'd heard some stuff about humans. She wasn't sure if she believed it, but she felt it better to be safe than not.

Joanna wondered who the woman was, for ordinarily this kitchen was occupied by a shorter woman with curled grey hair and a bustling disposition. Perhaps she was house-sitting, she mused.

After a half hour or so, Joanna's legs began to become sore from the windowsill, and she stood up. The woman had moved on from cleaning off the counter-tops and stove, and was now dusting off some of the old vases that were kept ontop of the refrigerator. It was evident that they hadn't been cleaned in quite some time, because as they were being dusted they began to gain colors that Joanna had never seen on them before.

Being a bit easily amused, Joanna decided after a few more minutes to try and copy some of the poses that the figurines around her were holding. It was when she had her wings half-spread, her right arm reaching up and away from her and the other out lightly holding an invisible barrel, with one foot on the ground and the other one pointed into the sill for stability, and her face pointed skyward and slightly to the left, in the most ridiculously graceful looking dance pose, that the woman turned again to face the window.

Joanna froze in place, waiting for the woman to turn round again and continue cleaning. But she didn't. Instead, she appeared to be scanning the room. The faerie thought that perhaps the woman was finished cleaning, and admiring her work, and would leave the room soon, or at least stop staring at her. Joanna felt uneasy as she realized that she was indeed being stared at. Or no, not her, the window ledge that she was posed on.

The woman picked up her feather dusted and walked casually over to the window and for one frightening moment, Joanna thought she might be intending to close it, but as it turns out, she was simply finishing up her cleaning.

Of course, this meant that now Joanna could not move--Which would have been perfectly alright, as the pose she was holding was not a difficult one. However, as the woman cleaned, a rather sneaky cloud of dust was beginning to form around the fae's head. As she drew a breath in, her nostrils prickled and she suddenly had to repress an urge to sneeze. Her peach lips parted just slightly as she focused hard on keeping her breathing steady. In a few seconds her nose began to run, and, without thinking, she sniffled. Panic rushed through her system before she realized that the woman had not heard her, and was infact not looking her way at the moment. She wiggled her nose surreptitiously and hazarded another sniffle. The woman didn't notice. Joanna's nose still felt sneezy, but moderately enough that she could keep from sneezing by focusing on it, and not breathing too quickly.

Joanna's sneeze was all but startled away when she felt an edge of the duster brush her right arm. She was being dusted next. The feathers of the duster tickled her nose with fervor and the dust made the walls of her nostrils itch. She twitched her nose helplessly, unable to rely on the aid of even placing a finger under her nostrils, and tried desperately to gain control over her breath. Her eyes pressed shut, half in concentration, half because she sincerely couldn't help it. Her breathing was getting away from her.

"Haa... " she tried to stop it, but couldn't "Haaa..." her voice rose in pitch as she resisted the feathers dancing around her nostrils, "Haaa... haaaaa!!! Hhh-hh-hhi! HHX'CHIIOO!!" She froze, not in fear, but paralyzed by her own impending sneezing fit, "Heh-HHX'CHIIOO!! Haaa... haaa... ETCHOO!! Hh-h-h-HXC'TCCH!! Hh-HXC'TCCH! HXC'TCCH!! Haaa.. haa.. haaaa HAAEEEXCHIIOO!!!!"

... To be continued?

[Blah!?]

Aww, this is such a cute little story! Even though not a lot has happened yet, I feel like I already have a sense of who Joanna is as a character, and she seems pretty interesting. Curious fae getting themselves into trouble are always fun.

I really hope you'll continue soon! I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Chanel_no5]

Awww... This was a really sweet idea, I love how curiousity got her into some sneezy trouble. Love to see where this goes!

[Ciuty80]

ohhhhh

yes please continue this sounds REALLY cute!!!!

[count tiszula]

More, more! An interesting example of Sneezing while Hiding in plain sight.

Actually I am reminded of the scene in The Borrowers where Uncle Hendreary [i think] is pretending to be a Dresden statuette on the mantelpiece and a maid comes and dusts him, with hilarious consequences. That used to fascinate me as a child. In fact I found a Dresdeny figure that my aunt had had, and it is now on my own mantelpiece. Hasn't sneezed yet though.

[Septaero]

Thank you! I will write more as soon as I figure out what sort of woman the house sitter is.

Count de Tisza -- Funny you should mention that! It is indeed the very scene that inspired me to write this. I can't even play it back in my head and remember it these days, but the concept was idea sparking

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Aww, this is such a cute little story! Even though not a lot has happened yet, I feel like I already have a sense of who Joanna is as a character, and she seems pretty interesting. Curious fae getting themselves into trouble are always fun. I really hope you'll continue soon! I can't wait to see what happens next!

Couldn't say it better myself so I'll steal Blah's comment.

Really a very cute story, I do hope you will continue it.

[ThePokeFan599]

Me too. There is a lot that can be told from this situation now. How the duster lady reacts, and does the fairy do something to make the other girl sneeze. Lots of opportunities.

[NoV]

Love the 'feather duster causing uncontrollable sneezes' situation - its one of my favourites. Very cute

[ThePokeFan599]

I agree with NoV, that the feather dusting causing the sneezing is a classic yet still terrific method to sneeze. In a way, although she is hiding in plain sight, like a story that I know NoV loves, she is hiding and not wanting to be discovered in the place.

[dontnoqit]

Great setup!

[megacycle]

I definitely loved the set up and plot to this story.

Would love to see more added to this. <3