Likesn's Drabble Thread

[Contagioussneeze]

I love this story

[sneezemeister]

Loving these!

[Likesn]

Crowd Pleasing:

"For the life of me, I can't understand why you're doing this" said Sharona.

"What I don't understand is why you're not playing along" said Joan.

"Because it's demeaning" said Sharona. "Is this really the message you want us to send"?

"Not another lecture" said Prudence.

"We get it: With a great girl band comes great responsibility blah blah blah" said Angie.

"Laugh all you want but this is serious" said Sharona.

"Maybe it would've have mattered if we actually were a great band" said Joan. Her friends had displeased looks on their faces.

"Don't get me wrong" she continued "I'm not saying we don't sound good, because we do. We're making some kickass music, but it won't matter much if no one wants to hear us play".

"Now who's lecturing? You're going to tell us it's all for the band? Is that what it is?" Sharona asked.

"Of course it's all for the band!" Joan called. "What else could it be for"?

"I think you kinda like the attention" said Sharona. "It makes you feel special".

"Then how come she wants us all to do it?" Angie asked. "If we're all doing it then she won't be that special".

"Fair point" said Prudence.

"I still think it's degrading" said Sharona. "We might as well just do porn for our next music videos".

"First we need money to make those videos" said Joan. "You don't want to be a part of it? Fine. You'll be sitting behind the drum set anyway, so it doesn't matter much. Now, let's get ready. We're going up soon. This is our last show of the tour, so let's crush it and after that we can rest back at the motel".

"Some bands can afford an actual hotel, where they don't have to share a room with just two beds" said Angie.

"Bands that make money" said Joan.

"And have many fans" said Prudence.

"Oh that reminds me: We're meeting the fans after the show" said Joan.

"You're not expecting us to be barefoot then as well, do you?" Sharona asked.

 

It all started a couple of days ago. "Soul Sisters" an aspiring girl band, were about to start one of their last shows on the tour they were doing to promote their debut album. Despite the name, they were not sisters and they were playing punk-rock rather than soul. The tour was not going very well. They preformed in some nice festivals, but the turnout in their shows was no more than a couple dozens of fans each. With three more shows to go before the end of the tour, they were getting desperate. Then, just before they were about to go on stage, the lead singer Joan stepped on a broken beer bottle. She wasn't injured, but her sneakers were ruined. With no time to lose, she went on stage barefoot. That show had a crowd of almost 200 people. Joan decided to try going on stage barefoot for the next show as well. Almost 500 people came to watch. With that in mind, Joan asked her bandmates to go on stage barefoot as well for their last show. Angie, the lead guitarist, was hesitant at first but finally agreed. Prudence, who played bass guitar, was pretty indifferent about it, so she didn't mind. It was only Sharona, the drummer, who refused to do it.

 

"Wear whatever you like to meet the fans, but it will be right after the show so I doubt you'll have any time to change" said Joan.

"I hope it won't be just a bunch of weirdos coming to ogle our feet" said Sharona.

"No one will be ogling your feet since you never take your boots off" said Prudence.

"That's right" said Joan. "You're probably just jealous of me because people like my feet".

"I bet they wouldn't like them so much if they spent some time recording with you. When you take your shoes off at the studio the whole place smells like feet" Angie teased.

"As if your feet smell like roses" said Joan. "I bet Sharona's feet smell really terrible and that's why she never takes her boots off. Either that or her feet are deformed".

"Your face are about to be deformed" said Sharona.

"Stop it you two" said Angie. "We don't have time for this right now. I, for one, can't wait to meet the fans".

"I heard some bands promote themselves by doing shots with the fans in such meetings" said Prudence.

"Now that is the kind of promotion I can get on board with" said Sharona. "But seriously, what's next? How low will you go to get the fans to like us"?

"We could change our name to 'Barefoot Ladies' maybe" Prudence suggested jokingly.

"Or 'Sole Sisters' get it?" Angie said and pointed at her foot.

"Time to go you jokers" said Joan. "Barefoot or not, let's kick some ass".

 

It was the best show they've ever had. The crowd was at least 600 people at the beginning and more joined as the show went on. When the time came to sing "I have to have you", their greatest hit (well... by their standards) they all felt the energy coming from the crowd.

"I have to" Joan started the chorus.

"I have to have to" Angie joined in with backing vocals.

"I have to have to have to have to have to" Prudence joined in as well.

"Have to have to have to have to have to"" Sharona's singing came a little after her friends', empowering it.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha" Joan was building up the peak of the chorus. Her friends joined her.

"I have to have you!" Joan's singing exploded and the crowd went wild. The band played like never before.

"Thank you very much!" Joan called when they finished the song. "We are 'Soul Sisters'. Good night"!

"So? Did we crush it or did we crush it?" she told her friends after they got off the stage. They all had stars in their eyes and they started talking all at once.

"Oh my god!" "That was amazing!" "Our best show ever!"

Joan turned to look at Sharona, who smiled back.

"Yeah, it was alright" she said.

"Keep that positive energy going you guys" said Joan. "We'll bring it to the fans".

 

"Hai Tshoo! Ugh! Stupid fads" Angie said before blowing her red nose. It was two days after their last show and she was at their motel room, with a terrible head cold.

"I guess doig shots with the fads is dot the best idea whed you edd up shrig their gerbs Ha Apshoo!" sneezed Prudence. She was sick as well.

"Walkig barefoot all dight probably did't help" said Angie.

"Dod't thidk it battered that buch" said Prudence. "I bead *sniffle* look at Sharoda".

"Hu Rashooooooo!" Sharona bellowed. She was in bed, with a large nose that was red and completely stuffed up. Her big feet, finally bare, were sticking out from under the covers.

"Cover you bouth whed you sdeeze, Sharoda!" Angie called.

"What's the poidt? *sniffle* We're all sick adyway" Sharona said and gave her nose a gurgling blow.

"At least cover your feet" said Prudence. "By dose is blocked solid add I cad still sbell theb".

"Joad was right" said Angie. "They do sbell eved worse thad hers".

"Ha Ishoo! Did sobeode say by dabe?" Joan asked as she came out of the bathroom. Two pieces of rolled-up toilet paper were stuffed into her nostrils, but she sneezed them out. Needless to say she was sick as well.

"We were just talkig about Sharoda stidkig up the roob with her feet" said Prudence. "I cad't believe all this tibe you've beed wearig your boots without socks. That's Ha Pshoo! disgustig".

"Your id do positiod to talk, Prudedce" said Sharona. "Your feet are radcid".

"Edough already" said Angie. "We get it - the roob sbells like feet. What did Phil say"?

"He's tryig to book us adother show" Joan replied. "The last ode wedt so well he wadts to strike while the irod is still hot".

"The irod bight be hot *sniffle* but we all Ha TshiShooo! have colds" said Angie.

"Adgie's right" said Prudence. "We're way too sick to perforb right dow".

"Show bust go ode, Prudedce Ha Ishoo, He Ishoo, Ha I Shoo!" sneezed Joan.

"Bore like the sdot bust go od" Angie said while Joan blew her nose.

"Very fuddy, Adgie" she said. "You guys *sniffle* this is ad opportudity that bight never cobe back".

"Give be a break, Joad" said Sharona. "You're sick as a dog, we all are. If you ever wadt us to preforb agaid you deed to give us tibe to Hu RashChooooooooo! get over this cold".

"We have tibe udtil todight" said Joan. "I took sobe cold bedicide add dow I'b goig to sleep for a few hours add wake up good as dew. You should all do the sabe" she sat down on the couch.

"Ared't you goig to sleep id bed?" Angie asked.

"I'b fide where I ab" said Joan. "Do way I'b gettig dear the bed. The sbell frob Sharoda's feet will keep be up".

"You're lucky I dod't have the edergy to get out of bed right dow or else by feet would've beed all over your face" Sharona said but Joan didn't hear her. She was already asleep.

 

The sound of her phone buzzing woke Joan up. It was Phil, their manager, letting her know they will be performing that night in front of a crowd of 2,000 people. Her bandmates all felt better and when they heard about the show they felt much better still. There wasn't much time left before the show, so they all ran out of the room barefoot and wearing only pajamas with robes over them. Sure they were cold, but the energy from the show to come warmed them up. When they went up on stage the crowd cheered like never before. Sneezing coughing and sniffling, the band started playing. Some of the lyrics came out messed up due to their stuffed up noses, but they didn't care. Every now and then one of them had to sneeze, but it only made the crowd cheer even more. They were having the time of their lives, despite being sick. Before too long, it was time for their hit song. Suddenly, Joan felt a tickle in her nose.

"I have to sdeeze" she told her friends. All the crowd heard that and roared.

Joan had an idea. They started singing their song and when they got to the chorus she started singing "I have to sdeeze" instead of the usual lyrics.

"I have to have to" the rest of the band joined her. The chorus was building up and so was she tickle in her nose. She could tell her friends were about to sneeze as well.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha" it wasn't clear if she was singing or about to sneeze. The voices of her friends joined in and she was sure they were all about to let out huge sneezes all over the stage.

Then, the tickle suddenly disappeared.

"Wait *sniffle* I dod't have to sdeeze adybore" said. "Sorry everybody *sniffle* false alarb".

There was a moment of terrifying silence and then the crowd laughed and started cheering again.

"Joan! Joan! Joan!" they chanted.

 

 "Joad! Joad! Wake up"!

"Ha Ishooooo!" Joan sneezed right into Angie's face. Her poor friend was only nudging her to wake her up.

"Gross!" Angie called. "Dow I'b all covered id sdot".

"Where ab I? What's goig od?" Joan asked before she realized what happened.

"You've beed sleepig like a corpse add Phil has beed callig you every two bidutes for the last half ad hour" said Prudence. "He probably wadts to Ha Apshoo! talk to you about the show todight".

"Give be by phode" Joan said and sniffled. "You're right He Ishoo! He wadts to kdow if we cad perforb".

"Hu Resh Cha, Hursh Chooooooooo! Kdowig you *sniffle* we're probably godda edd up perforbig todight barefoot add id our pajabas" said Sharona.

"Dod't be ridiculous" said Joan. "We're way too sick to preforb todight".

"Hhh Ha Tshoo, Ha Itshoo, Hai Tshoo!" Angie's sneezes confirmed that statement.

"I'b glad to see you're fidally bakig sedse" said Sharona. "Better late thad dever".

"The odly place we'll be perforbig todight is this roob" said Joan. "It will be a show of us restig add gettig over this cold. The lyrics to our sodgs will be the soudds of us blowig our doses *sniffle* coughig add He He Ha Ha Ha Ishooooo! sdeezig. You three are all the crowd I deed todight".

The End

Edited July 1, 2023 by Likesn

[jke1995]

I loved the dream sequence in this one! Great story 

[Contagioussneeze]

These are great

[Likesn]

Defrosting:

"Od your kdees girl"!

Hinamai realized the mistake she made and quickly knelt before the queen. Normally the queen would never have to tell anyone to kneel before her, but for some reason Hinamai didn't do so right when she entered the room, as she should have. Instead, she stared directly at the queen, something that was rude, almost sacrilegious. There was something about the queen that made Hinamai act that way, but before she could figure out what it was the queen put her in her place.

Queen Derairiya wasn't used to common people allowing themselves to stare right at her like that. Then again, things haven't been quite like they used to be ever since the battle. A few hours earlier she returned victorious from a battle that officially ended the war declared by the diamond empire of the north-east. It was a war that broke shortly after Derairiya's father, the king, passed away and she became the queen. Her kingdom was vast and rich and the diamond empire assumed that since it was being ruled by a young woman it would be a good time for them to strike. They made a grave mistake underestimating Derairiya. Not only was she an excellent dragon rider, she also proved to be a very cunning general. While the diamond empire was preparing their army, Derairiya launched a surprise attack, teleporting some of her large army right into enemy territory and catching them off guard. Even with the element of surprise, it was still a hard battle. The diamond empire had frost giants and ice dragons, not to mention the fact that they were ruled by a council of evil sorcerers. With carefully planned strategy that was executed perfectly,  Derairiya managed to overwhelm the armies of the diamond empire and defeat the council of sorcerers. She has slain many foes before reaching the council and she did so without so much as getting scratched. Even the sorcerers were no match for her fighting skills. With his dying breath, the last sorcerer tried to put a curse on her, but he fell before her mighty sword just like the others. Victory was hers.

When the battle was over, Derairiya ordered her army to be teleported back to her kingdom while she made the way back riding her dragon. That's when things started to get weird. She always felt powerful when she rode her dragon, yet on the way back she felt exhausted. Despite the warm body she was riding, she kept shivering, unbale to keep warm. Long after she left the frozen lands of the diamond empire, she could still feel the cold in her bones. She felt like even dragon-fire was not enough to keep her warm. When she rejoined her army, she made sure all the healers were busy taking care of the wounded. After a brief meeting with her generals, making sure the war was indeed over, she announced that she would be retiring to her palace for a few days, where she will spend her time in prayer in memory of her father and in thanks for her great victory. The generals all agreed that it was a good idea and assured her that they will take care of everything so that she will not be disturbed. Derairiya felt a little bad about lying to her generals, but she couldn't tell them the truth. A fierce queen and general like herself couldn't show any signs of weakness, not even after a battle. The truth was she felt awful. Her head hurt, she was shivering under her armor and there was an unfamiliar sense of wetness that was building up inside her nose. She wished she could see a healer, but since they were all busy she called for a maid when she got back to the palace.

The blood-stained armor was placed on its stand when Hinamai entered the queen's chambers, but other than that the queen was still wearing the same clothes she wore during the battle. Down on her knees, Hinamai noticed that the queen's body was shivering.

"What is your dabe?" the queen asked.

"Hinamai, your highness" the maid replied, forgetting that she was not supposed to look up at the queen while kneeling. When she did, she noticed that the queen's nostrils were tinged red.

"Eyes dowd Hidabai!" the queen ordered.

"Forgive me your highness" Hinamai said and quickly lowered her eyes.

"Dow *sniffle* listed very carefully, Hidabai, because I will dot reapeat byself" said the queen. "Frob this bobedt od *sniffle* you are dot to leave by chabbers udtil further dotice. I ab dot feelig well add you will do everythig you cad to help be recover. You have beed sedt here to assist be while prayig add as far as adyode else is codcerded that is exactly what you'll be doig here. Do ode is allowed to kdow that I ab udwell. Is that clear"?

"Absolutely clear my queen" Hinamai replied.

There was a sudden silence and Hinamai risked looking up again. She saw that the queen's eyes were almost fully closed, her nose was twitching and she was panting softly.

"Hhhhhhh He Eshooooooooo!" the queen jerked forward with a strong sneeze. Hinamai could feel drops of the sneeze falling on her head like rain.

"Blessings on your royal nose, my queen" Hinamai said while the queen was recovering from her sneeze.

"Do dot look at be" the queen sniffled. "You are dot allowed to see your queed sdeeze".

"Apologies your highness, but I'm afraid it would be inevitable for me to see you sneeze" said Hinamai. "It would not be possible for me to do everything in my power to help you recover if I'm not allowed to look at you".

"Very well *sniffle* Hidabai" said the queed. "Od your feet. You bay start assistig be dow".

"What will the queen have me do first?" Hinamai asked, rising to her feet.

"Haaa Haaa He Ashoooooooo, Ha Eshooooooooooo! Attedd to by dose" the queen said and sniffled.

"Certainly, your highness" said Hinamai. "Does the queen have any handkerchiefs"?

A royal golden handkerchief was soon found in the queen's drawers. Hinamai helped the queen sit down on her bed and brought the handkerchief to her nose.

"The queen can safely relieve her royal nose now" the maid said.

"Hhhhhhhh Hu Eshoooooooooooooo!" somehow, the queen's sneeze missed the handkerchief altogether. Poor Hinamai was hit with the spray, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, she helped the queen give her nose some gurgling blows. Hinamai's soft touch made it much easier for the queen to blow her nose.

"Now, let's see what I can do yo keep the your highness warm" said Hinamai. "We can't have the queen shivering from the cold like that".

Hinamai poured some water into a bowl and placed it next to the fireplace. Then, she took off the queen's combat boots and the room was filled with the smell of feet. Obviously, Hinamai said nothing about that to the queen. She simply brought the bowl close to her and helped her place her cold and aching feet inside.

"You are quite the gifted healer, Hidabai" the queen said as she felt warmth spreading from her feet to the rest of her body.

"A healer? No your highness. I am but a simple maid" Hinamai said and blushed. "These are all just methods us maids learn to help someone when they have a cold".

"Ridiculous *sniffle* A queed dever catches He Ashoooooooooo! a cold" said Derairiya. "It bust be a curse put od be by ode of those sorcerers frob the diabodd ebpire. This is defarious dorth-easterd bagic".

"Of course it is, my queen" said Hinamai. "Please forgive my foolishness".

As a matter of fact, Hinamai was not foolish at all. She knew that people tend to get sick when they're tired and stressed, just like the queen has been after losing her father and being forced to go to war. Still, magic couldn't be ruled out completely and she dared not argue with her queen.

Hinamai spent two days taking care of her sick queen, attending to her every need. She often got sneezed or coughed on and her only rest was a few hours of sleep on a chair, but she never complained. It was a great honor that the queen has allowed her to see her so vulnerable and trusted her to take care of her. By the end of the second day, all the hard work was starting to take its toll on Hinamai. She was cold and tired and her nose started to run. At first the queen was too sick to notice, even when Hinamai started sniffling and her voice started getting congested. Hinamai dared not blow her nose and only wiped it on her clothes when the queen wasn't looking, but it started getting red. There was no hiding the cold inside it when Hinamai started sneezing.

"Hi Tishoo! Oh! Forgive be your highdess" Hinamai sniffled at the morning of the third day.

"Hidabai *sniffle* you are dot well He Ha He Eshooooooooooo!" sneezed the queen.

"Do by queed *sniffle* I'b afraid dot" said Hinamai. "I ab I Tshoo! terribly sorry for failig you".

"Failig be? Dodsedse!" said the queen. "I could dot have Ha Ashoooooooo! asked for a He Eshooooooooo! better baid to aid be whed I ab udwell".

"The queed is far too kidd Hi Tshoo!" sneezed Hinamai.

"Blessidgs od your dose" the queen said softly.

"Your highdess should't bless by dose" said Hinamai. "It is dot royal add thus should dot be blessed".

"As the queed *sniffle* I cad bless whatever dose I choose to He Tsha Shooooooooooo!" the queen let out a sneeze that made Hinamai think maybe magic had something to do with her cold after all.

"It is your royal dose we should be worried about *sniffle* by queed" said Hinamai.

"Dot adybore" said the queen. "I ab well od by way to beig all better Ha Eshoooooooo! Though it bight take a little bore tibe before I get there. You, od the other hadd, are gettig worse by the bobedt".

"Please dod sedd be away your highdess" Hinamai begged. "You ordered be to Hhh Ha Tshoo! do adythig to help you Ha Tishoo! feel better add I assure you I cad Hi Tshoo! still do that".

"You are shiverig" the queen stated. "Do dot try to fool your queed. It is clear that you are cold add dot feelig well. I kdow that feelig very well byself".

The queen moved to the edge of her bed and lifted the covers.

"I order you to get idside this bed" she said firmly.

"That would dot be seebly *sniffle* by queed" said Hinamai.

"You dare disobey a direct order frob your queed, Hidabai? He Ashooooooooo!" sneezed the queen.

"Of course dot. Forgive be your highdess" Hinamai sniffled before climbing into the bed.

"Such a stradge illdess" the queen said when she felt Hinamai's body next to hers. "The warbth cobig frob your forehead is like the fire of by dragod *sniffle* add yet your feet feel as cold as ice whed they touch bide".

"I'b sorry if ady cobbob parts of be are touchig your royal body by queed" said Hinamai.

"Do dot be sorry" said the queen. "You are keepig your queed warb". She grabbed a clean handkerchief and handed it to Hinamai. "I order you to relieve your dose with this haddkerchief".

"Ei Tshoo! Whatever by queed cobbadds be" Hinamai said and blew her nose.

The End

[Likesn]

Si(ck)tcom:

When Jenny was 22 years old she got a very surprising letter. It was from her great aunt, a woman whom she has only heard of until that point. Said great aunt won the lottery back when she was Jenny's age and since then she's been traveling all over the world, mostly doing charity work. The letter informed Jenny about a very large one-story house in town that belonged to her great aunt. Getting so rich at such a young age had many advantages, but also some disadvantages. One such disadvantage was the fact that her great aunt found it hard to stay in touch with the people whom she used to consider her friends. She couldn't be sure if they wanted to stay friends with her because they liked her or because they were after her money. That was one of the reasons she chose to travel the world and not stay too long in one place. While she had no real regrets, she wanted her great niece to experience life a little differently. Thus, she made her an offer. Jenny could become the owner of the fancy house, but her great aunt had two conditions: First, Jenny had to find three more friends she wanted to share the house with. Second, the four of them would have to live there together for several years. Assuming that Jenny's friends would be about the same age as her, they would have to live there roughly until they turn 30 in order for Jenny to become the permanent legal owner of the house. After that, they would be free to go their separate ways and Jenny could do whatever she wants with the house.

Jenny had trouble believing that letter. At first she was sure it was a scam, but after checking it with her parents and verifying the authenticity of the letter she found out the offer was real. Three different lawyers confirmed that the house did belong to her great aunt and that the deal would be legally binding like a contract should Jenny choose to accept it. Jenny took some time to think about it. She wasn't sure she wanted to commit to living with her friends for so many years. Her opinion started to shift when she first visited the house. It was gorgeous. When she found out how difficult it was to buy a house or even rent one, she started seriously considering the deal. The most important thing was finding the right friends to be her roommates. Danielle, Mila and Margot were the three friends finally chosen. They were all pretty different from one another, but Jenny hoped that they would find a way to live together.

That's the background story for the sitcom "34 Cedar Road". The show follows the four friends and their somewhat unusual living arrangement, Needless to say, shenanigans occur on a weekly base (wouldn't be much of a sitcom if they didn't). Let's move on to this week's episode, called "The Bed":

The doorbell rings and Margot rushes to the door excitedly.

Margot: "It's here! It's finally here"!

Jenny: "What's here"?

Margot: "The super-bed. Duh"!!

Danielle: "Is that the bed I signed us up for? The bed we're supposed to take for a test drive"?

Margot: "That's the one! And the bonus is we might get to keep it".

Jenny: " I don't get why we need any other beds than the ones we have now. We each have a bed so big it could fit all four of us in it".

Margot: "But... the perks. Danielle, tell her about the perks".

Danielle: "This bed is adjustable and has some sort of massage program built into it and whatnot".

Margot: "Don't downplay this bed! It's suppose to be the next thing in comfort"!

Danielle: "Yep, that's what the commercial said, which is why I thought it could be nice to sign us up for this test drive. I had no idea Margot decided to marry the bed".

The doorbell rings again.

Jenny: "I think there's a delivery guy waiting for us to let him in".

Margot opens the door with a big smile.

Margot: "Hi!!! Welcome! Thank you for bringing us the super-bed".

Delivery guy: "Just doing my job. If one of you can please sign theses papers".

Margot practically snatches the papers from his hands and signs them.

Danielle: "What are you doing?! You're supposed to read them first"!

Margot: "I'll have plenty of time to read them in the new bed".

Delivery guy: "If you could just show me where your room is I'll install the bed there".

Danielle: "Wait, why should the bed be in her room? I'm the one who signed us up to get the bed".

Jenny: "And I'm the one who got us this house in the first place. If anything, the bed should be in my room".

Margot: "Hey! I called it first"!

Delivery guy: "Ladies, this bed has wheels and I've got other people waiting for their deliveries. Please, just let me install it in one room and show you how to use it. If you're not happy with it's locations later on you could just move it to another room".

Since Mila's room is one closest to the entrance, the girls agree to let the delivery guy install it there. After he does, he shows them how to use the various functions of the bed and how to move it should they choose to do so. Once he leaves, the girls return to the living room and Margot frowns.

Jenny: "Don't worry Margot, maybe Mila won't even want the bed".

Margot: "As if! This bed is perfect".

Jenny: "Tell you what: If we do get to keep the bed, we could share. Each of us can have it for a week or a month at a time, whatever we decide".

Danielle: "That's one big if. Those papers you signed had many fine prints. We should be very careful with the bed if we want to keep it".

Margot: "Tell Mila that when she gets here. Ugh! She's so lucky"!

Jenny: "If you're so in love with that bed you might want to take a quick nap in it now. Mila usually comes home late from work, so you probably have a few hours before"

The door opens and Mila walks in.

Jenny: "Speaking of the devil".

Danielle: "What are you doing home so early"?

Mila: "*sniffle* By stupid boss sedt be hobe. He said I cad't work if I'b sick".

Danielle: "Well, that's not very stupid of him".

Mila: "It is stupid because I'b dot sick. I dever Ha E Tshoooooooooooo! get sick".

Jenny: "That giant sneeze says otherwise".

Mila: "I'b telling you I'b dot sick. By dose is just *sniffle* actig up today".

Margot: "You look terrible. No one's going to believe you're not sick".

Danielle: "A nicer way to say it *gives Margot a stern look* would be that you look like you need to rest. Fortunately for you, the super-bed I signed us up for had just arrived and it's in your room. I'm sure a good night's sleep in that bed will kick that cold right out of your nose".

Mila: "I dod't kdow what cold your talkig about He TsheShoooooooooooo! Od secodd thought *sniffle* baybe if I go to sleep dow by dose will stop actig up by toborrow".

Mila goes to the bathroom and the others hear her give her nose a much needed gurgling blow.

Danielle: "Good thing we put the bed in Mila's room. She could really use some R&R right now".

Margot: "I can't believe how lucky she is, getting that bed all to herself".

"Ha Tshooooooo, He Tshoooooooo, Ha TsheShoooooooooooo!" they hear Mila sneezing in the bathroom.

Jenny: "Does she sound lucky to you"?

Danielle: "With a cold that bad, you wouldn't want to be in her shoes".

Margot *mumbles*: "I could never be in her shoes, she has gigantic feet".

Jenny and Danielle leave the room without hearing that last sentence. Margot is left alone, listening to the sounds of sneezes and nose blows coming from the bathroom.

Margot: "She's gonna get her disgusting germs all over the new bed. It should have been my bed. They only let her have it because she's sick. Hey! That's it"!

The next morning, Mila is in bed with a red nose. Used tissues are scattered all over the covers. A knock on the door is heard and Margo walks in without waiting for reply.

Margot: "One cup of tea, coming in hot".

Mila: "I dridk coffee id the bordig Bargot, you kdow that. Besides *sniffle* tea is for sick people".

Margot: "No need to act tough. You're sick, but I'm going to help you get better" she places the cup of tea on the nightstand and gently taps Mila's long nose.

Mila: "He Tshoooooooooooooooooo"!

The sneeze is uncovered and Margot sighs before breathing in the spray. She then starts picking up some of the used tissues on the bed and throws them to the bin.

Mila: "All those sdeezes bake by dose hurt".

Margot: "Does your back hurt too? This bed can give your back a massage".

Mila: "Really? A bassage actually soudds kidda dice right dow".

Margot: "There's a button to get the program started. I can show you".

Mila: "I see a buttod here".

Margot: "No wait! That's"

Mila presses the button and the bottom part of the bed shoots up. The covers fall backward and Margot finds her face only an inch away from Mila's feet.

Margot: "The button for adjusting the bed" she waves her hand in an attempt to keep the smell away.

Mila: "Help! Put it back dowd"!

Margot: "Just press that button again".

Mila: "I cad't see the buttod".

Margot: "You just pressed it. Here, I'll show you".

Mila presses a button just when Margot takes a step forward. This time however, it's the massage button. The bed starts vibrating and Margot ends up with Mila's feet shoved into her face.

Margot: "I better get sick soon because I can't stand that smell'.

Mila: "He Atshoooooooooooooo! Did you say sobethig"?

Margot: "No. Nothing".

The next few scenes are a montage of Margot taking care of sick Mila. When the montage is over, the house is shown from the outside in the afternoon and a loud "Ha Yashoooooooo!" is heard from inside. Margot is standing at the living room, looking at Jenny who had just entered the house.

Margot: "This is unbelievable"!

Jenny is blowing her nose wetly into a tissue. When she finishes and removes the tissue, it's easy to see that her nose is a red as her hair.

Jenny: "Whatever bug Bila has *sniffle* half the people id by office have it too. I've beed He Yashoooooo! sdeezed od by so bady people this bordig it's do wodder that by dood I Ye Shooooo! got sick too".

Margot: "I can't believe I haven't. All day long I've been taking care of Mila and I'm not even sniffling".

Jenny: "You should be glad your ibbude systeb works well. Trust be *sniffle* this is dot a cold you'd Ha Yeshoooo, He Yeshoooooo! wadt to catch".

"Hat Shooooooooooooo!" a loud sneeze is heard from outside. A moment later, Danielle walks in. She's wearing a business suite and black high-heels, which she kicks off when she enters. Her black skin is pale, her nose is red and she looks very tired.

Danielle: "You'll dever believe what happeded to be at work today".

Jenny: "Let be guess *sniffle* bady people at your work are sick *sniffle* they sdeezed all over you add got you sick too? That soudds Ha Yashoooooooo! sobewhat fabiliar".

Danielle: "Exact... Ha Aaaatsh! exactly. I cad't believe how Hat Shooooooooo! fast I got sick".

Jenny: "Tell be about it Ye Shoooooooo! It's like *sniffle* ode bobedt I'b totally fide add the dext ode I'b"

Danielle: "Hut Shoooooooooooo! Sdeezig all over the place. I kdow what you bead Jeddy".

Jenny: "The good dews is Bargot has beed takig carre of Bila all day lodg add she's dot sick".

Danielle: "Really? You're so Haaat Shoooooooooooo! lucky Bargot".

Margot: "*sigh* That's what everyone keeps telling me".

Jenny: Ha Yashooooooooo! Cobe od Dadielle *sniffle* let's joid Bila id the super-bed".

Danielle: "Good idea. If we're still sick toborrow *sniffle* I'b sure Bargot add her Haaaatsh, Haaaatsh, Hut Eshoooooo! perfect ibbude systeb could take care of us".

The next scene shows the three sick girls in the super-bed the next morning. They all have red noses, they're sneezing and coughing and there are used tissues scattered all over the room. Margot walks into the room.

Jenny: "Good bordig durse Bargot. How did you Ha Ha Ha Yashoooooo! sleep last dight"?

Margot: "*huff* Fine. I brought you all tea".

Danielle: "Hu At Shoooooooooooo! I slept like a baby last dight".

Jenny: "Be too. This bed is Ye Shooooooooo! abazig".

Mila: "I agree with Dadielle add Jeddy. This bed is so great it was albost worth havig this He TsheShoooooooooooo! biserable cold just so I could sleep id it".

Jenny: "Hey, I have ad idea: Why dod't we let this super-bed give us a bassage?

Danielle: "That soudds like a great idea Jeddy".

Mila: "Cad I press the buttod? I fidally figured out how this bed works".

Jenny: "Sure Bila *sniffle* press it add let our tired bodies by bassaged".

Mila: "Alright *sniffle* here we go Ha E Tshoooooooooooooooooo"!

The massive sneeze causes Mila's hand to slip and she accidentally presses the wrong button, same one she pressed the day before. Margot finds herself facing three pairs of sweaty feet.

Jenny: "Hold od *sniffle* I'll get us back dowd".

Margot notices the button that Jenny is about to press.

Margot: "No! That's the" she once again takes a step forward at the wrong moment. When the bed starts vibrating, the three pairs of feet get shoved into her face.

Margot: "Oh that's just perfect".

The sick girls lower the bed and finish enjoying their massage.

Danielle: "That was fud. Hey Bargot *sniffle* did you rebebber to brig us the hubidifier"?

Jenny: "Bad I deed that hubidifier. By dose is so codgested I cad hardly breath".

Margot: "Yeah, I have it right here".

After placing the humidifier by the bed and turning it on, Margot leaves the room to let her friends rest. Before she does, she picks up some of the used tissues.

Margot: "I won't be nursing them much longer. Once I finally catch this cold they'll feel so bad they'll be nursing me. Maybe they'll even let me have the super-bed all to myself. It would be so perfect, just me relaxing in that bed, letting it massage me without having to share it with them and their stinky feet. I hope this humidifier works fast and they'll be able to smell again. We'll see how they like it when they realize that the whole room smells like feet. I like the word 'humidifier'. It's such a funny word. Didn't I read it somewhere lately and thought about what a funny word it is? Probably on the box when I took it out of it".

Margot rubs the used tissues on her face and then goes to watch TV in the living room. She then notices something on the table. It's the papers she signed when the bed was delivered.

Margot: "Guess I might as well read it. Maybe I'll even find some functions the delivery guy hasn't told us about. Let's see... Blah blah blah boring legal stuff.... Hey! 'Humidifier'! I knew I read that funny word somewhere. What does it say? 'Do not use a humidifier in close proximity to the bed'? 'Might cause the bed to malfunction'? Oh no! I better take the humidifier out of that room before"

Jenny *calls from the room*: "Hey Bargot cobe here! I thidk there's sobethig wrodg with the bed".

Margot: "Oh no"!

Danielle: "If the bed balfudctiods we'll have to returd it right away".

Margot: "No"!!

Mila: "Bargot! We deed bore tissues"!

Margot: "Haa Haaa Haaaaaa Ha Ishoooooooo! Do"!!!

The last scene of the episode starts the next morning. Margot is in her bed, lying on top of the covers since she is too sweaty to be under them. She is surrounded by used tissues and her nose is bright red.

Margot: "Hi Ishoooo, Ishoooo, Ishooooo, Ha Ishooooooo! Owwwww! *sniffle* Why be"?

Mila Jenny and Danielle enter the room. They're all slightly better, but still sick and in their pajamas.

Jenny: "We thought you bight wadt sobe cobpady".

Margot: "Why would I wadt cobpady dow Jeddy? I'b all sick add gross".

Danielle: "Just like the rest of us Hut Shooooooooooooo! They do say cobpady is what bisery likes".

Margot: "You kdow what I like, Dadielle? I like beig healthy Hi Ishoooo! I also liked Ishooooo! the super-bed *sniffle* but it's gode dow Ha Ishooooooooo! gode forever".

Mila: "Ha TsheShoooooooooooooo! It sure was a really dice bed".

Margot: Really Bila? Was it? It was so hard to tell with all the fud you've beed havig id it. That's the fud I'll dever get to have *sniffle* all because of that hubidifier".

Jenny: "He Yashooooooo! Oh that rebidds be" she leaves the room and returns a few moments later with the humidifier, which she places next to the bed.

Margot: "Guess I bight as well use it" she turns the humidifier on and her friends sit on the bed around her.

Margot: "I Shooooo, Ai Shoooooooo, Ishoooooo, Ishoooo, Ishooooo, Ha Ishooooooooo! I thidk the hubidifier bight be bakig be sdeeze eved bore".

Jenny holds a tissue up to Margot's face as Margot starts sneezing helplessly. The other three soon start sneezing as well. The episode ends with the camera focusing on the four pairs of feet while the girls keep sneezing and blowing their noses as the credits roll.

The End

[jke1995]

Poor Margot. Amazing stuff as usual. I wish this were a real show

[Likesn]

Alternatives:

It was a hot summer day. Kayla and Sky were in Kayla's parents' house, waiting for their friend Trish. The three of them had big plans for that evening - going to what was sure to be the greatest party of the summer. Everyone that was someone was invited and the three friends were really excited. To make sure everything is perfect, they scheduled a whole day of getting ready for the party.

"God! I wish just one time Trish could be somewhere on time" Kayla complained.

"She's not that late. Give her a break" said Sky. She has always been the most relaxed and easy going person of the three.

Before Kayla could argue, they heard a knock on the door.

"Finally" Kayla muttered under her breath and went to open the door for Trish.

With her usual smile and a tan that was achieved by lying on the beach for about three days, Trish walked in. She was carrying a bag in each hand, one containing her dress for the night and the other with a new pair of high-heels. There was something a little off about her face though. Despite her smile, she looked like she's been crying.

"What's wrong?" Sky asked.

"Hi Tshoo! Dothig's wrodg *sniffle* by allergies are just Ha Tshoo! drivig be crazy this bordig" Trish replied. She had notoriously bad allergies, mostly during spring.

"Your allergies aren't usually this bad during summer" said Sky.

"I kdow" Trish said and sniffled. "The polled coudt bust be Ha I Tshoo! off the charts today *sniffle* By dose is ticklig so bad".

"God girl, just take a Zyrtec or something" said Kayla.

"You did't thidk I took by beds before cobig here? It's dot really helpig for sobe reasod Hei Tshoo!" sneezed Trish.

"Well, you're indoors now so you should be getting better soon" said Sky. "Now let's get started".

"Sky's right" said Kayla. "We have a lot to do".

The girls started getting ready for the party. Trish kept sneezing and sniffling, the tickle in her nose refusing to go away. It was so bad that Sky didn't want to put makeup on her friend's face, fearing she might aggravate the tickle.

"But I have to put od by bakeup" Trish said before letting out a congested snort. "I cad't go to the party with by face all red add puffy".

"Girl, no amount of makeup can help you when you're like this" said Kayla.

"You're not helping" Sky scolded Kayla before turning to Trish. "It's weird that your allergies are still so bad. We've been indoors for a couple of hours now. Maybe there's something else that's setting you off"?

"Could be the smell coming from her high-heels" Kayla teased.

"They're bradd dew you big jerk!" Trish called. "I haved't word theb eved odce".

"It's not the shoes, Kayla" said Sky. "But now that you've mentioned it, I do detect a new smell" she sniffed the air around Trish and then reached into Trish's purse and pulled out a small bottle. The label read "Obsess".

"By dew perfub! That bust be it" said Trish. "Oh Sky you're a Hai Tshoo, I Tshoo, Tshoo! gedius".

"That's quite a name your new perfume has" said Sky.

"What? *sniffle* I wadted all the bed at the party to Ha Ei Tshoo, Tshoo, A Tshoo! be obsessed with be" Trish said before letting out another congested snort.

"Yeah right. I'm sure the men at the party will be all over you when they see you sneezing your head off" said Kayla. "Nothing turns a guy on like snot".

"Just go to the bathroom and wash that perfume off of you" Sky told Trish.

A little while later, Trish came out of the bathroom after she had thoroughly washed all the perfume off of her. She also blew her nose multiple times in an attempt to get the tickle out of it. While the tickle clamed down a bit, she was still congested. Trish assumed the congestion would go away soon.

There, dow I'b feelig better" she told her friends. "I should be bore careful dext tibe a buy a dew perfube".

Her friends didn't reply and Trish then noticed the strange look they both had on their faces.

"What's goig od with you two?" she asked.

"Yey Tshoo!" sneezed Sky.

"Hu Eshoo!" Kayla sneezed as well.

"Haha *sniffle* I guess by perfobe got idto your doses too" said Trish.

 

As the day went on, it turned out that Trish's sneezes and congestion were not caused just by her new perfume. She didn't know it, but she was in fact coming down with a terrible summer cold. By the time they figured it out, both Kayla and Sky caught the cold as well. When evening came, the three of them were all too sick to go to the party. Their beautiful dresses have been put aside as they wore comfortable pajamas instead. Next to the dresses were the new high-heels the girls bought but didn't get a chance to wear. They walked around the house barefoot, sweating in the summer heat. Instead of sipping cocktails at the party they had to drink tea and juice. Each of them had hoped to bring back a boy to bed, but they ended up sharing a bed in Kayla's bedroom.

 

"Ha Eshoo! God *sniffle* I hate beig sick. Eshoo! I hate it so buch" Kayla said the next morning. The three of them were in bed, too sick and tired to go anywhere else.

"Ha Yi Tshoo!" Sky sneezed into a tissue. "I cad't believe I have a cold add I still feel so hot add sweaty" she said. "Ared't colds supposed to be like a widter thig"?

"Yeah Trish *sniffle* who catches a cold id the biddle of subber? Hu Eshoo!" Kayla sneezed out the two rolled up tissues she put in her nostrils in a futile attempt to keep her nose from running.

"I did't I Tshoo, Tshoo, A Tshoo, Ha Ei Tshoo! catch it od purpose" said Trish.

"How she caught it is dot Yey Itshoo! really ibportadt right dow" Sky said and blew her nose.

"You're right E Shoo! The ibportadt thig is we bissed the party" said Kayla.

"Ai Tshoo, Tshoo, Ha Tshoo! I'b really sorry about that" Trish wiped her irritated nose with a tissue. "I was sure all the sdeezds add sdiffles were because of by allergies".

"We kdow" said Sky. "It's Hi Yey Tshoo! dot your fault".

"Actually *sniffle* it kidda is" Kayla said and gave her nose a loud, gurgling, honking blow. "That party was supposed to be the best thig about this subber. Dow how ab I Hu Eshoo! supposed to get by subber fud"?

"Hey *sniffle* I have ad idea! How about we have ourselves a fud day *sniffle* like we did whed we had sleepovers back whed we were kids?" Trish suggested.

"But were He Eshoo! sick" said Kayla. "Where's the fud thed"?

"I thidk Trish is od to sobethig" said Sky. "Just because we're sick doesd't bead we cad't have fud. We're already id bed ared't we? Hi Ya Tshoo! It really is a little like a sleepover. We could paidt each other's dails *sniffle* watch sobe silly bovies add all id all just relax Ha He Yea Tshoo! *sniffle* Whed we're dot too busy sdeezig that is".

"You kdow what? That actually Hua Eshoo! soudds pretty fud" said Kayla.

The End

[jke1995]

Nothing like a cold getting in the way of big evening plans. Great story

[Likesn]

The following drabble will have a bit more foot stuff than usual. You have been warned.

Creative Solutions:

"Ew! Quit it!" Dawn called and made an evasive maneuver to the left. To her right, close to where her face was only a second before, was Meg's big toe, which was quite big indeed.

Meg laughed.

"The more sensitive you are about it the funnier it gets" she said.

"I'm not sensitive" said Dawn. "This is just gross and rude".

"Fine. I'll be out of your hair now" Meg said, lowering her foot.

Dawn returned to her book. She had a big exam coming in two days and she really needed to study. Just when she finally managed to concentrate again, she felt something brushing against her hair. Before she could do anything, her face were engulfed by her roommate's feet. Dawn's nose was slender and long, but Meg's soles were so wide she had no trouble covering that nose completely with them.

"Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god gross!!! What is the matter with you?!!!!!" Dawn got so angry she broke free, struggling to breath through the smell of Meg's feet.

"Did I say 'out of your hair'? Sorry, I meant into it" Meg said and burst out laughing.

"You're unbelievable" Dawn said, trying to breath normally again. "I'm going to the library".

Meg's loud laughter echoed in the background when Dawn left the room.

 

As if university wasn't challenging enough, Dawn had to deal with a very problematic roommate. Meg didn't seem so bad at first. She was studying law, Dawn was studying psychology, and the two of them got along fairly well. Trouble started when Dawn returned to their room one day and found Meg doing her toenails, clipping them and painting them. Meg's feet were on a chair close to Dawn's bed. Pieces of Meg's toenails were flying right onto Dawn's pillow, as well as used tissues with toenail polish on them.

"Gross!" Dawn called instinctively.

"It's nice to see you too" said Meg.

"Look what you did to my pillow!" Dawn rushed to clean her bed. She suddenly stopped, sniffing the air.

"What is that smell? It's worse than the nail polish" she said.

"Don't make fun of my feet" said Meg. She was a little sensitive about her large feet and their strong smell.

"Then keep them away from my bed" said Dawn.

"Oh, I'll keep them away from your bed alright" Meg mumbled.

Since that day, Meg made a habit of bringing her feet close to Dawn's face whenever she could.

"I said I'll keep my feet away from your bed, not your face" she would say.

The more Dawn tried to fight it the more Meg would enjoy it. Dawn would've left the room a long time ago, if she had anywhere to go. All the other dorm rooms were full and her parents' house was a 3 hour flight away from the university, so that wasn't an option. She didn't have enough money to rent a room anywhere near campus either.

Poor Dawn. She was a very sweet and sensitive person who never had such trouble with people before. Meg wasn't a mean person, but Dawn unknowingly struck a nerve. In the years to come, Dawn will surely learn to avoid such situations as someone studying psychology. For the time being, however, she desperately needed to find a solution for the situation.

 

"And one last thing: It seems that cold and flu season has officially started. Please, do not come to class if you're sick. Help us keep you all healthy. On that happy note, I'll see you all tomorrow" the professor said as he concluded and let the class go.

Dawn wasn't fully paying attention. She was distracted both by the thought of the exam she had the following day and by thoughts of her problematic roommate. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a text message from her friend Leah.

"Could you please drop by later and bring me your notes? I'm sick as a dog here 🤒" she wrote.

"Sure. No problem" Dawn wrote back. She has been wondering why Leah wasn't in class that day and now she had an answer.

 

"Thadk you so buch for cobig, Dawd *sniffle*. You're a lifesaver" Leah said as she opened the door that afternoon. Her big nose was bright red and there were used tissues scattered across the room.

"By roobbate has gode back hobe for a few days add left be here with her cold" Leah added before pulling out a handkerchief and giving her nose a honking, gurgling blow.

"I'b albost out of tissues *sniffle* so I had to start usig a haddkerchief" she said.

"That's OK" said Dawn. "I'm sorry you feel so bad. On the bright side, now you have the room all to yourself".

"Hua Pchoooooo! Dot exactly" Leah said after letting out a big sneeze. "It seebs that I'b sharig the roob with this bodster of a cold I have id by dose".

"Bless you" said Dawn. "If you don't mind me saying, I'd rather share a room with this cold than with my roommate. I don't know what I'm going to do with her".

"She's still givig you a hard tibe, huh? Hu Hu Hu Haaaaa Pchooooooooo!" Leah sneezed again. "Excuse be. I'b tellig you *sniffle* you would't wadt to share a roob with this cold".

"With the alternative being a roommate that keeps shoving her smelly feet into my face? Don't be so sure" said Dawn. "She just keeps bothering me and I'm fed up with it".

"Oh! Thadk you for rebiddig be" Leah said and pulled out a tub from under her bed. She poured warm water into it, sat down her bed, took off her shoes and socks and placed her feet inside the tub.

"Buch better" she said before blowing her nose into her handkerchief. "By dose is so stuffed up *sniffle* I dod't thidk eved the sbell of your roobbate's feet would be botherig be right dow".

"Hey, that's it!" Dawn called.

"He He Hea Pchooooooooooooo! What's it?" Leah asked.

"If I catch a cold, my nose will get stuffed up and I won't be able to smell anything" Dawn replied. "Meg wouldn't be able to bother me for at least a few days. It's perfect".

"Hello! Cad you dot see the sdotty bess id frodt of you?" Leah gestured at herself. "I would hardly call this 'perfect'. Perfectly biserable baybe".

"At this point I'll try anything" said Dawn. "I need you to give me your cold".

"Do way. I'b dot doig that Ha Ha Ha Pchoooooooooo!" Leah sneezed into her handkerchief. "You're by friedd add I dod't wadt you to feel Hu A Pchooooooooo! as bad as I feel".

"If you won't help me then I'll do it myself" said Dawn. She picked up some of Leah's used tissues and started rubbing them on her face, right under her nose.

"You're bakig a He He Haaa Pchooooooooo! huge bistake" said Leah. "I'b tellig you *sniffle* you'll regret this decisiod whed you're Hu Upchooooooooo! sdeezig your head off".

"This is the only solution I can think of" Dawn said and kept rubbing the used tissues under her nose.

 

"Rise and shine" Meg woke Dawn up the following morning by tapping her nose with her foot.

"Get away from me! Dawn practically screamed, pushing Meg's foot away.

"Hey, I just wanted to wish you good luck on your exam today" Meg said with a mischievous smile. "I'll be here when you get back and you could tell me all about it" she laughed before leaving the room.

Dawn grunted with frustration. She regretted straining her voice since she could feel a slight scratchiness in her throat. Her head also felt off, like it was slowly filling up with cotton. As for her nose, the only thing she felt inside it was the smell of Meg's foot. She briefly wondered why her roommate's feet had such a ripe smell so early in the morning, but her attention was quickly diverted to the exam she had to take that day.

 

Leah couldn't be seen anywhere in the exam hall that morning and Dawn wasn't surprised at all. She felt sorry for her friend, who would have to find a way to take the exam once she's over her horrible cold. The mere thought of that caused a weird sensation inside Dawn's slender nose. It wasn't a tickle, but it was as if her own nose was somehow reacting to the thought of Leah's cold.

The exam started and Dawn did her best to focus. She actually felt that she was doing pretty well and she grew more confident as the exam went on. However, about halfway through the exam she felt her nose starting to run. At first she tried sniffling, but as her sniffles were getting louder she switched to rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. When that wasn't enough anymore, she pulled a travel-sized pack of tissues out of her bag and placed it on the table. She dared not blow her nose, fearing of the noise it might make, so she simply wiped it with a tissue from time to time. This made it harder for her to concentrate on the exam, but she somehow managed to finish it. Her greatest fear was that she would have to sneeze in the middle of the exam, but her nose was gracious enough to simply run. By the time the exam was finally over, Dawn felt that her nose was completely stuffed up. She got out of the building where the exam hall was and a sudden ray of late fall sun hit her face.

"Eshaoo, Tshaoo, Ha Ekhaoo!" she sneezed three times. Her sneezes were very loud, ending with a high-pitched sound that was like a scream. People around her were slightly startled when she sneezed, moving away from her.

"That seals it, I'm sick" Dawn thought. "Good luck bothering my nose now, Meg".

 

Dawn returned to her room and found a shocking surprise. Meg was there, sitting on a chair with her feet place on another chair. On that second chair, right under Meg's dirty feet, was Dawn's pillow.

"Welcome back" said Meg. "I hope your exam went well".

From the look in Dawn's eyes, Meg could tell that her roommate was furious.

"What? This? I said I'll keep my feet away from your bed, but your pillow is not on your bed right now" Meg laughed. "Man, your pillow sure feels so soft and nice under my feet. I've been walking around all day and it's great that I'm finally able to relax. Here - smell just how relaxed my feet are" she lifted her feet, bringing them as close to Dawn's face as she could.

"Get your E Khaoo! feet Tshaoo! away frob by Hei Tshaoo, Eshaoo, Ha I Shaoo! pillow!" Dawn's sentence was continuously interrupted by sneezes.

"Bless you, roomy" Meg said and laughed again. "What's the matter? Are you allergic to my feet now"?

"You wish" said Dawn. "By friedd had a terrible cold the other day add dow I'b catchig it. You better stay away frob be if you dod't wadt tp get sick".

"And miss the fun of making you sneeze with my feet? No way!" Meg laughed like crazy and pushed her feet into Dawn's face again.

"Ai Shaoo, E Khaoo, A Khaoo, I shaoo, Tshaoo, Ha I Khaoo! Dawn went into a fit of desperate high-pitched sneezes, some of them a little cough-like. She flapped her hands helplessly while she sneezed, as if they were wings she could use to fly away and escape. Meg watched that and continued to laugh, not minding Dawn's sneeze-spray flying everywhere across them room.

"You are so discustig, Beg" Dawn said when her sneezing fit was finally over.

"Look who's talking, little miss snot rockets" said Meg. "I never realized I could have so much fun with my feet. Maybe I should thank you for that" she started laughing again.

Dawn was miserable. Not only was she sick, but her plan has failed completely. Or so she thought...

 

"Ha I Tshaoo!" Dawn sneezed herself into a sitting position in bed, sending the wet towel on her forehead flying away. It was two days later and she was no way near getting over her cold. Her nose was bright red and her bed was covered with used tissues. On top of that, she felt like she was developing a fever. She was sweating under her blanket.

"E Khaoo, Tshaoo, Ha I Shaoo!" she sneezed three more times.

"Dot so loud! *sniffle* By head is killig be" Meg whined from her bed.

The silver lining of the whole situation was that Meg woke up that morning sick as a dog. Thus, she was unable to keep bothering Dawn. Her head was pounding and her nose was blocked solid. She tried blowing it multiple times, but the loud honks did nothing but turn her wide nose red.

"Serves you right for all you've beed puttig be through" Dawn said and gave her nose a gurgling blow. "You should have seed this cobig *sniffle* codsiderig all the tibes you tortured by dose with your sbelly feet. I've sdeezed so bady tibes these past two days *sniffle* it's do wadder you caught by cold. You cad't say I did't ward you frob the start".

"I kdow *sniffle* add I'b sorry" said Meg.

"He I Khaoo! *sniffle* You're what?" Dawn was surprised.

"Sorry Dawd. I ab really really sorry" said Meg.

"Dow you're sorry? That's odly because I fidally bade you pay for what you did to be" said Dawn.

"You're right" said Meg. "I should have said it to you earlier add I defiditely should have stopped teasig you with by feet way earlier. *sniffle* The truth is I really overreacted. You bade ode cobbedt about by feet add I just... ugh.... hold od" she gave her nose a few honking blows.

"Adyway" she sniffled and continued "I'b sorry for everythig I put you through. Guess I did't realize just how sedsitive I could be about by feet".

"You really bead that?" Dawn asked.

"I do, believe be I do" Meg replied. "You've beed a really great roobbate add I've beed a terrible ode these past few days. I probise *sniffle* frob dow od I'll be the best roobbate adyode could ask for".

"That's dice of you to say add I believe you" said Dawn. "I guess baybe I could've beed bore sedsitive byself add dot lose it over sobethig sball like a few toedails od by bed".

"It's dot your fault" said Meg. "I should've respected your private space bore".

"E Shaoo! Oh excuse be" Dawn said and sniffled. "Sorry for ruidig the bobedt with a sdeeze".

"You did't ruid adythig" said Meg. "Bad *sniffle* I wish I could sdeeze as well though".

"Wait *sniffle* your dose doesd't Tshaoo! tickle? Bide just wod't stop E Khaoo! Dawn's sneeze emphasized her point. She rubbed her red nose with a tissue.

"Do *sniffle* by dose doesd't tickle" said Meg. "The pressure id by siduses is drivig be crazy add I wish I could just sdeeze sobe of it out".

"Id that case *sniffle* baybe there is sobethig I cad do about it" Dawn said with a grin. She got out of her bed and sat down on Meg's. Her mild fever was making her sweat and she could tell that her feet were sweating as well. As quickly as her aching body allowed her, she lifted her feet and placed them on Meg's nose.

"Looks like sobeode has taked a page frob by book" Meg said, her voice muffled under Dawn's soles. "You kdow what? I thidk it's workig".

Dawn lowered her feet and watched as the pre-sneeze expression appeared on her roommate's face. Meg started breathing heavily, a tickle finally blossoming inside her blocked nasal passages.

"You better back away" she warned Dawn in between breaths. "By sdeezes are godda be huge".

"He I Shaoo, A Khaoo, E Khaoo, A Tshaoo!" Dawn was too busy with her own sneezes to listen.

"Hu Reshooo, Hea Ptshoooo, Ha PtsheShooo, Hue Ptshooooo!" Meg let out one massive sneeze after the other. "I'b dot dode" she announced.

"It's OK Beg *sniffle* just let theb out" Dawn said while rubbing her nose with the back of her hand.

"Haaa Haaaaaa Haaaaaaaaa Rash Ptshoooooooooo, Hei Aptshooooooooo, He Rashoooooooooo, Hu Resh Ptshoooooooooooooo! Bad that felt good" Meg moaned. "I really deeded that *sniffle*. Thadks Dawd.

"You're welcobe *sniffle* rooby *sniffle* add bless you" Dawn said with a smile. It seemed that her solution has worked out after all.

The End

[jke1995]

Quick thinking from dawn to get Meg to leave her alone. Great stuff

[Likesn]

Joy:

Some people fit their names perfectly. Joy was a good example. She was always looking out for everyone around her, doing her best to make them all happy. It was her goal in life to maintain a positive energy in her environment. Even when things were not going very well and people around her seemed to be feeling down, Joy always kept a smiling face, a peppy attitude and a willingness to do a lot for others. This made her a very good roommate. Meredith, Elle and Gillian, who were sharing an apartment with Joy, benefited from that a lot. They did their best to return a favor and be the best roommates possible, but it wasn't always easy to keep up with Joy's optimistic approach.

The holiday season was Joy's favorite time of the year, naturally. It warmed her heart to see so many people do their best to spread... well... joy. Unfortunately, that's not the only thing they were spreading. Joy has been sharing the apartment with her roommates for a few years now and every year at least one of them would get sick during the holiday season. Even with so much happiness all around, it's hard to be glad when you're sneezing and sniffling. This year, however, was particularly challenging. A bad cold was going around and by early December it made it's way into the apartment. Joy's three roommates got sick almost simultaneously. The earliest signs came from Elle, who was sniffling and wiping her long nose with the back of her hand, but kept acting like everything was fine. By the time she finally admitted that she was sick it was too late and she was walking around the house with a nose as red as Rudolf's. Meredith, on the other hand, had no trouble admitting she was sick, even from the very first tickle in her throat. In fact, she quite liked the attention. Having such a caring roommate like Joy certainly added to that fact. Meredith complained often, both because it was in her nature and in order to be pampered by Joy. As for Gillian, she couldn't avoid attention even if she wanted to. Her thunderous sneezes let everyone near her know that she was sick. Before too long, her nose got even redder than Elle's. Joy, as usual, did her best to take care of her roommates. After two days with a cold in the apartment, Joy felt that she was coming down with it too. The fact that she has been repeatedly sneezed and coughed on by her roommates certainly didn't help. Still, she decided not to let it stop her. Sniffling, with a nose that was getting more runny and red by the hour, she soldiered on, nursing her roommates and not letting her smile fade away, even though she was feeling cold and tired.

 One grey afternoon, the four of them were sitting together in the living room. Too sick to go to work, Joy's roommates have been staying home, enjoying Joy's caring nursing. Wrapped in blankets, drinking tea and passing a box of tissues between each other, they looked as miserable as they felt. That misery was somewhat alleviated when Joy offered to give them all foot-massages. They placed their cold and tired feet on the table and Joy sat on the floor and started rubbing Meredith's feet.

"Oh Joy this is really dice" Meredith let out a moan of pleasure before taking a tissue from the box and giving her red nose a gurgling blow.

"I'b glad you're edjoyig it, Beredith" Joy said, unable to hide the congestion in her own voice.

"Dod't get too close, Joy *sniffle* I cad sbell her feet frob over here" Elle teased.

"Hey! That's dot fair!" Meredith called. "It's dot like your feet sbell like perfube".

"He Tshoo! How would you kdow?" Elle asked and sniffled. "We're all so Ha Etshoo! codgested".

"Because the whole livig roob sbells like feet Ha I Pchoo!" sneezed Meredith. "Do way it's just frob bide *sniffle* right Joy? Tell her it's dot just frob by feet".

"Girls *sniffle* that's edough. The roob sbells fide" said Joy. In order to keep everyone happy you often had to lie and that was one of those cases, because the room totally smelled like feet.

"Ho Achoo, Ho Achi, Hoa Chia! Cad we please stop talkig about sbelly feet? It's bakig by dose tickle eved bore" Gillian said and went into a coughing fit. Her big nose was very sensitive even without a cold inside it. "Beredith *sniffle* cad you pass be the tissue box please"?

"Hold od Hi Pchoo! I just deed to Ha I Pchoo! take a couple bore" Meredith pulled out three more tissues from the box before passing it over to Gillian, who demolished five tissues with a snotty honk.

"Pass it to be whed you're dode, Gilliad Ha Etshoo! By dose is He Tshoo! ruddig like a faucet over here" Elle said and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. When she got the tissue box, she blew it wetly into one.

"Joy *sniffle* by feet are gettig cold" Gillian said before blowing her nose again.

"Bide too" said Elle. "I thidk pridcess Beredith had her feet rubbed lodg edough".

"You two are just jealous Ha Ipchoo!" sneezed Meredith. "By poor feet *sniffle* They should't eved be here right dow. I bought a lovely dew pair of shoes for a Christbas party I was idvited to. Dow I'b stuck here with Elle's disgustig cold idstead of beig at the party".

"Hey! Who said it's by cold? You probably Hat Eshoo! caught it frob sobeode you work with" said Elle.

"Or baybe I caught it frob you while you were too busy preteddig you're dot sick" said Meredith. "You were the first ode of us to have a ruddy dose add dow bide just wod't stop Hai Pchoo! ticklig".

"Hua Choo!" Gillian sneezed loudly again. "Baybe we should't He Choo! be talkig Ho A Choo! so buch about the Hu E Chia! tickle id our doses *sniffle* it"

"Bakes you sdeeze" her roommates said in unison.

"Ha Chi, Ho Chi, Ho A Chia, Hu Achoo! Exactly" Gillian said after four more colossal sneezes.

"Here Gilliad *sniffle* I'll rub your feet dext" said Joy.

Gillian's enormous feet had an even stronger scent than Meredith's. It was something that Joy was aware of before, but she never said anything to Gillian about it because she didn't want to upset her. She wasn't going to say anything now either, but her nose, which was already sensitive from the cold she was catching, decided to speak for her.

"Ha Ishoo!" she turned her head away from Gillian's feet and sneezed into her shoulder.

"Bless you Joy" said Elle. "Your dose cad't haddle the sbell of Gilliad's feet adybore, huh"?

"Excuse be Hi Ishoo, Haa I Shoo!" Joy tried to regain control over her nose but failed.

"I thidk Joy is Ha Ipchoo! cobig dowd with our cold" said Meredith.

"Well, that's do big surprise" Elle said and sniffled. "She's beed He Tshoo! breathig our He Atshoo! gerbs for the past two days".

"Dod't worry girls I Tshoo! I'b He Ishoo! totally Ha I Shoo, I Shoo, Hi Ishoo! fide" Joy tried to say, but was constantly interrupted by her continues sneezes. The tickle in her nose was just too strong.

"Here Haaa Chia! Take by bladket" said Gillian.

"Add sobe tissues" Elle gave Joy the box. Joy blew her nose and felt embarrassed.

"I'b sorry girls" she said and sniffled. "I dod't feel so good add I Ha Ishoo! dod't thidk I cad take care of you adybore. Are you goig to be OK"?

"We'll be fide He Tshoo! It's just a cold" Elle made room for Joy on the couch.

"Eved if it is a really bad ode Ho A Choo, He Chi, Hua Chooa!" sneezed Gillian.

"Id fact *sniffle* I thidk it's tibe we start Hi Pchoo! takig care of you" said Meredith. She took off Joy's fuzzy socks and started rubbing her feet.

"Thadk you so buch Ha Ha Ha Ishoo!" Joy sneezed and when she opened her eyes she saw a tissue held against her nose. It was Gillian, who proceeded by helping Joy blow her nose. Gillian's gentle touch helped calm down Joy's irritated nose. Elle, who normally would've said something snarky, simply gave Joy a friendly pat on the shoulder and went to the kitchen to make some more tea. Joy allowed herself to relax and let her roommates take care of her for a change. Despite the fact that they were all sick, it turned out to be a pretty joyful holiday season for them.

The End

P.S. I didn't plan to have that much foot stuff in this one but it just sorta happened 🤷‍♂️

[jke1995]

Joy’s way too nice of a roommate. But I’m glad they all came through for her when she got sick. 
great stuff.

[Likesn]

A Christmas Carol:

It's the night before Christmas, snow is falling outside

as inside one apartment three sick women hide

with noses all runny and itchy and red

all their desire is to stay warm in bed

"Ha I Shoo!" sneezes Carol and if that's not enough

then come several nose blows, followed by a cough

after filling her tissues with mucus so thick

she thinks about how she ended up sick

 

Three days earlier, in walked Adelaide

"Hi girls, I'b back" to her roommates she said

snot from her nose was beginning to trickle

and she sucked it back up with a very wet sniffle

"You're sick with a cold" Hailey then concluded

"Go to bed quick, you should be secluded"

"Best you stay in your room and keep your distance"

"or you'll get others sick, like us for instance"

"Hailey's right" said Carol "Go to bed now dear"

"We don't want to get sick with Christmas so near"

"Hu E Pcha!" Adelaide's sneeze was as loud as a shout

"I dod't kdow what you girls are talkig about"

"By dose is just bothered by the cold widter air"

"Seddig be to by roob doesd't seeb very fair"

Carol said: "If you're not sick, then what's up with your voice"

and Hailey suggested: "Let me give you a choice"

"Go to bed now and I'll go and make tea"

"Then, when in your pajamas you'll be"

"I'll bring it to you and in bed you will drink"

"And maybe tomorrow you won't feel so sick"

"I dod't deed your tea" Adelaide said

"I'b dot sobe sick child that should be id bed"

"Add I dod't have the tibe for this poidtless fight"

"I deed to get ready for a party todight"

Carol laughed so hard she was almost choking

"A party tonight? Girl, you must be joking"!

"I don't know who exactly you're trying to trick"

"for even a blind man can see that you're sick"

From her pocket, Hailey then pulled out her phone

and turned it towards Adelaide with the camera on

"I gave you a choice to go rest in bed"

"but if you rather be stubborn instead"

"then in the time I could be spending making you tea"

"I'll make videos of you for your friends all to see"

"When they see you so sick and sniffling, dear"

"you won't get into any parties at all next year"

"Now go wear your pajamas or comfortable clothes"

"and get some tissues for your runny little nose"

"*sniffle* I hate you Hailey *sniffle* add Carol too"

Adelaide said and sneezed "Haa Pche Shoooooo"!

To her room she then went, sniffling and sneezing

She wouldn't admit it, but she was freezing

Her nose wouldn't stop running and she was a mess

With a sad look across, at her high-heels and dress

she figured she might as well stay in her room

"Hue Pchea!" she let out another sneezy boom

 

Our story continues the following night

with a sick girl in bed, oh my, what a sight

Her hair is messy and her nose is red

tired cold feet sticking out of the bed

"It's Adelaide, surely" you must all think

but alas, it is Hailey and she's also sick

"Ha I Tshooo!" she lets out a wet sneeze

flying across her room like a breeze

Carol walks in and sits on the edge of the bed

"Hailey says: "Thadks so buch. You're such a good friedd"

Used tissues are scattered all over the bed

Carol clears some of them and holds out her hand

It's a handkerchief that Hailey gladly accepts

A series of nose blows then follows like tests

Hailey's congestion is relived just a little

but all of a sudden she feels a strong tickle

"Ha Tishooo, Ha Itshooo!" no use holding back

She's then overcome by a sneezing attack

"Hi Hitshoo, Hei Tshoo!" she lets out two more

piles of used tissues then fall to the floor

"Hai Tshoooo!" one last sneeze, her vision is blurry

Then a realization comes sudden and scary

She opens her eyes and sees a clear trace

of her spraying wet sneezes on Carol's shocked face

Hailey says: "I'b so sorry, I just could't cover"

"The sdeezes cabe over be ode after the other"

Carol reassures: "It's not a big issue"

"You don't always have time to hold up a tissue"

"Try your handkerchief next time a sneeze starts to bloom"

"Now I must go see Adelaide in the next room"

"Poor girl is as sick as one can be"

"even sicker than you, trust me"

Then Carol gets up and goes to the next room

with a very strong sense of impending doom

For if Adelaide's sneezes didn't do the trick

Hailey sneezing in her face will surely get her sick

"Ho A Pcha, Ha E Pcha!" Adelaide sneezes so loud

and Carol shudders when she hears that strong sound

The blood in her veins almost straight up freezes

when she thinks about suffering from continues sneezes

 

Now it's the night before Christmas, Carol's sick as a dog

Feeling like her head has been filled with a fog

She sighs: "Why oh why did by roobbates have to give"

"be the gift of their cold for this Christbas eve"?

"They sdeezed all over be add dow I'b sick too"

She says before sneezing: "Ha Ha Ha I Shoo"!

Being sick on Christmas eve is so miserable and boring

Next to her, she can hear the congested snoring

of her roommates sitting on the living room couch

Not an hour has passed since they walked with a slouch

into the living room, making it a sick girls' nest

"We heard that cobpady is what bisery likes best"

They thought it might be nice to get out of their beds

but they were so sleepy from their cold and the meds

that they both fell asleep on the couch, oh deer

with noses like that of a certain reindeer

Carol looks at them both and lets out a weak smile

She's knows they all be sick for quite a long while

blowing their noses and sneezing in bed

then a thought creeps into her stuffy head

A fire in the living room's fireplace burns

Carol looks at the bright light and turns

towards her roommates' feet, placed on the table

she thinks about that old Christmas fable

about Santa that down the chimney goes

putting gifts in the socks that covers the toes

Her tired roommates continue to snore

as one by one their socks fall to the floor

They're sweating from fever, Carol can tell

but she picks she socks up, ignoring the smell

and hangs them up on the mantlepiece, quiet like a thief

"Baybe Sadta will bridg be a dew haddkerchief"

"God, their feet are so stidky, but bide bust be too"

"It's bakig be sdeeze Ha I Shoo, Ha I Shoo"!

She instinctively looks for a place to hide

but her barefoot sick roommates just turn to the side

They shift a little, but continue to sleep

Carol can't help but feel like a creep

but that feeling goes away when she has time to think:

"Hey! They were the ones who got me all sick"

The falling snow outside is lit by the moon

Carol whispers: "I wish I cad get well sood"

"for toborrow is Christbas add I've got dothig to do"

"but sdeeze over add over Ha Ha Ha Ha Ishoooo"!

The End 🎄

[Likesn]

Sasha's Helpers:

The north pole can get pretty lonely sometimes, not to mention cold. Even old saint Nick and the Mrs. were not immune to it. One pretty naughty night resulted, nine months later, with Sasha Claus. Growing up, Sasha had access to all the toys she could've dreamed of, but it was pretty pointless if she didn't have any other girls around to play with. Her parents were busy all year long and the elves practically raised her. In time, she grew tired of being surrounded only by elves and longed for the company of other humans. Every Christmas she watched her father bring joy to people all around. It wasn't the presents that brought them true joy though, it was the fact that they were surrounded by friends and family, something that Sasha never really had. Sasha noticed that people were happy during that time of year even though many of them got sick, particularly with colds. They had their friends and family to take care of them. All Sasha had were elves who worked for her father. She wanted to share the joy all those people felt. For that reason, she left her parents' house when she grew up and moved to her own place, in another part of the north pole. There, she created a workshop of her own. Wishing to surround herself with humans, she looked for women who would share her feelings. She was surprised by how many she managed to find. Her workshop was more like a Wonka factory, except all the women who worked there chose to do so. Since colds fascinated Sasha, she devoted her workshop to them. There was nothing that warmed Sasha's heart more than seeing a red-nosed woman with a cold, surrounded by people taking care of her. She saw that as the highest form of human connection. In order to achieve that outcome, colds had to be shared and spread all around. The women who worked at Sasha's workshop had to invent new and creative ways to spread colds. Every year, around Christmas time, Sasha held a competition in her workshop. The winner would be the one with the most creative invention and the prize was Sasha's bed. No! Not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter! The bed was Sasha's own invention, one she was mighty proud of. It was the most comfortable bed in the world and just being inside it could make anyone feel great, even if they had the most horrible cold. A vacation in that bed was a prize worth working hard for.

 

"Ha Ha Ha Haaaaaaaaaa Tshooooooooooooo!" Sasha announced her entrance to the production floor with her signature sneeze. The workshop had colds around all year long and she was always willing to test the products first hand (or in her case - first nose).

"Good bordig Sasha" she was greeted by Marge, a long time worker in the workshop.

"This bordig is bore thad just good, Barge" said Sasha. "It's the bost Haaa Tshooooooo! wodderful tibe of the year" she pulled out her red and green handkerchief and gave her nose a triumphant blow.

"Ho Ho Ho Hoa Pchooooooooooo! Iddeed" the buildup for Marge's sneezes often reminded people of Santa for some reason. "Everyode is very excited for the Christbas cobpetitiod this year".

"As ab I" said Sasha. "I see you worked hard add caught yourself a big cold while doig so. Your dose is as red as Rudolf's *sniffle*, I should kdow".

"By dose is red frob bore thad just by cold" Marge said and pulled something out of her nostrils. It looked like a piercing ring. "This is by idventiod for this year: The dose-warber".

"I'd ask what it does *sniffle* but it seebs rather obvious Ha Haaa Tshooooo!" sneezed Sasha.

"That. It does that" said Marge. "You see *sniffle* the dose-warber dot odly bakes your dose wrab *sniffle* it also bakes you Ho Ho Ho Ho E Pchooooooooooooooo! sdeeze a whole lot bore thad you dorbally would".

"So *sniffle* a girl who suffers frob a cold dose could wadt that as a presedt *sniffle* but the persod who buys her that bight edd up with the presedt of her cold?" Sasha asked.

"Hue PchuEsh! Exa Hua Pchoooooooooooooo! Exactly" Marge replied. "See how buch it bakes be sdeeze"?

"Wodderful!" Sasha called. "How very creative of you. Keep this up add you'll wid tibe id the bed".

"Oh I'd love that" Marge pulled out a handkerchief, bright red like her nose and her hair, and gave her nose a honking blow. "This cold got be frob by dose to by toes. By body could really use the bed".

"Thed you should go rest for a while" said Sasha. "I'll be addoudcig the widder sood".

 

A little while later, Sasha was approached by Taylor. With a pink and runny nose and a wide smile on her pale face, Taylor introduced her invention.

"Behold: The Christbas tree" she announced with pride. She wiped her nose with a tissue and showed Sasha a large tree, all decorated and lit up.

"By father bight accuse be of plagiarisb if he ever sees this" said Sasha. "You'll get be id trouble".

"Dot at all" said Taylor. "This is dot your regular He Ishoo! Christbas tree. Take a closer look".

Sasha did and immediately started sneezing uncontrollably.

"Ha Haaa Tshoooooo, Ha Tshooooo, He He Ha Ha Haaaaaa Tshoooooooo! What is happedig to by dose? Hei Tshoooooo, Haaaaaaaaaaa Tshoooooooooooo!" she asked through the sneezes.

"Ibagide this: You idvite your friedds and fabily over for Christbas. Everyode is havig the tibe of their life add all of a sudded they all start Ishoo! sdeezig" said Taylor. "They thidk they bight be allergic to the tree *sniffle* sidce they all cabe idto the house perfectly healthy, but this tree hides the He Ishoo, I Shoo, Ei Shoo! essedce of the Christbas cold betweed its bradches. Ad edtire group of people will be speddig Christbas He He Hi Ishoo! sdeezig their heads off add dursig each other's colds".

"Add the best part is do ode would blabe the persod who idvited theb all" Sasha said, sniffling furiously as she quickly backed away from the tree. It was too much for her nose to handle.

"That's right He I Shoo!" sneezed Taylor.

 

Sasha has reviewed various projects throughout that day. Many of them were promising, but Taylor's tree seemed to be the dominant contender. Finally, there was one last invention left for her to see. Sasha found herself facing not one but two workers, Mary and Christina.

"We hope you dod't bidd we worked od this project together" said Christina.

"Dot at all" said Sasha. "You rebebber what I always say".

"If she's daughty bake her sdotty add if she's dice sdeeze od her twice?" Mary asked.

"Haha sure *sniffle* but that's dot what I beadt" Sasha laughed and coughed. "I always say it's good to share. The bore the berrier".

"He Tshi!" Mary brought a tissue to her big red nose and sneezed strongly into it.

"Or id this case *sniffle* bore thad Bary" Christina said and wiped her nose, which was also red.

"Where is your idvedtiod though?" Sasha asked. "I dod't see adythig".

"Allow be Ha Ashoo! sorry *sniffle* allow us to debodstrate" Christina picked up a remote-control and pressed the single red button on it. Snow began falling all around them.

"This is very lovely *sniffle* but sdow isd't exactly dew Haaa Tshooooooooooooo!" Sasha sneezed, the falling snow tickling her already sensitive nose.

"But you cad't catch a cold just frob beig id the sdow" Mary said and sniffled.

"Or cad you? With our bradd dew sick-sdow Ha Ashoo! you cad!" Christina announced.

"You wod't just be cold Ha Atshi! you'll also have a cold" said Mary.

"As well as adyode else aroudd you" Christina added. "Just thidk about it: What's eved better thad a fud day id the sdow with your friedds"?

"Oh I kdow! A week of sharig a cold with your friedds" Mary said before Sasha had a chance to reply.

"Takig care of each other *sniffle* baybe eved sharig a bed to keep warb" said Christina.

"Dridkig tea, blowig each other's doses, coverig your friedds' sdeezes for theb whed they're too sick add tired to do it thebselves add have theb do the sabe for you. It's the perfect Christbas" Mary concluded.

"Well well well, I bust say I'b ibpressed" Sasha said, looking at the snow falling around her. "Quite a last-bidute surprise you have here. Christida, Bary, I'b proud to addoudce that you two are the widders of our addual Christbas idvedtiods cobpetitiod Ha Ha Ha Haaaaaa Tshooooooooooooooooo! I'b awardig you a ode week vacatiod id the bed *sniffle* cobplete with a full pabperidg treatbedt frob be. Good job".

 

Taking after her father in generosity, Sasha left no one wanting. Every worker with a cold got a care-package of tissues/handkerchiefs, juice, soup and medicine. Marge, who won the third place award for her invention, also got a nice pair of special thermic socks, which kept her tired feet warm throughout the holiday. As an award for the second place, Taylor got to spend three days in a special sick-suite, where she could invite her friends over and have a good time, sharing joy and germs.

As for the two winners, they dressed up for the occasion (fluffy gowns, fuzzy socks and slippers) and made their way towards their prize.

"Ha Ashoo! This looks abazig" Christina said when she saw the bed.

"I cad't wait to get id He Tshi!" sneezed Mary.

The two of them took off their gowns, slippers and socks and climbed into the bed. It was comfortable beyond their wildest dreams. Their cold feet burrowed into the soft fabric, suddenly bumping into each other's. Looking up, they both turned to face each other, smiling.

"We did it" said Mary. "Our dreab cabe true. It was a pleasure workig with you Christida".

"The pleasure was bide too Bary" said Christina. "I'll say it's eved worth this cold we caught".

They gave each other a high-five and then felt their noses tickling. Each side of the bed had a nightstand with a box of tissues placed on it. They both pulled out tissues and brought them to their noses just in time.

"Ha Etshi!", "Ha Ashoo!" they sneezed simultaneously.

The End 🎄

[Likesn]

The following drabble is inspired by a post I saw on Tumblr the other day.

Relapse:

"This is not gonna be me" Molly decided.

"Not this time" Natalie was determined.

"They'll all blame me" Alison feared. "I can't let that happen".

"It would be too much" Jamie thought. "No way we're calling it off because of me".

Separately, in their homes, they all reached the same conclusion. Neither of them knew it, but they all had the same dilemma. Girls night out has been a long time tradition for the four of them. They've been doing it for years, whenever they were able. Scheduling has become somewhat problematic of late though. They all had their lives and it was getting kinda hard to synchronize between them. Usually they somehow managed to find the time, but lately they had to reschedule for three times in a row. It's been a long time since they saw each other and neither of them wanted to be the one who would get that meeting cancelled or rescheduled again. The problem was each of them was recovering from a pretty bad cold she's been dealing with for the past few days, not telling her friends about it so they won't think she's coming up with an excuse to ruin girls night out again.

Molly basically hasn't left her bed in three days. Her bedroom floor was covered with a thick layer of used tissues. She's been so congested that she went through two or three boxes of tissues each day. On top of that, she sometimes had a fever which made her body ache from head to toe.

Natalie also suffered from an occasional fever, but hers came with chills. She wore a heavy blanket over her fluffy gown and the only time she took off the two pairs of wool socks she wore was when she soaked her feet in warm water. Nothing seemed to stop her from shivering though. She's been sick for five days and every time she let out a wet sneeze her nose would start to run.

The state of Jaime's nose was much worse though. It was bright red from all the times she had to blow it in the last six days. Not only was it completely stuffed up, it just wouldn't stop running. She even tried stuffing balled up pieces of tissues into her nostrils, but it didn't help much. Besides, her constant sneezes just shot those tissue pieces right out of her nose, leaving her to deal with the mess.

No one was sneezing like Alison though. It seemed to her as if she's spent four days just sneezing her head off. Every time she tried to get something done it was ruined by a sneeze. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a bad cold, but now that she was finally starting to get over it she wouldn't let it ruin girls night out. After four days with her horrible cold, she finally managed to get the sneezes under control. No way would she let the remnants of this cold be the reason they'd blame her for cancelling or having to reschedule again.

Her friends, as we've mentioned, all felt the same way. Natalie switched out of her fluffy gown and fuzzy socks and into a black dress and a pair of high-heels. She's been saving that outfit for when they finally get to have their girls night out and there was no way she'd wear anything else, even if it was too cold outside for that kind of outfit. Her face was pale, emphasizing her red nose, but she was sure some makeup could fix that.

Jaime had to work extra hard on her makeup, with her nose being as red as it was. Applying it took longer than usual because her nose was so sensitive. Not only was the skin on it red and raw, the makeup often tickled it from inside, forcing her to stop, sneeze and then start over.

Molly also dressed more lightly than she would've preferred. After spending days under the covers, it was hard for her to even stand up on her tired feet for a long time, not to mention leaving her house. Balancing herself when wearing high-heels was more difficult than usual, since her congestion and headaches made her dizzy. She blasted her long nose full of nasal-spray, praying she'd be able to breath through the night.

Alison was more worried that something might tickle her nose. She was also dressed lightly and balancing herself on a pair of high-heels, so an untimely sneeze could cause her to trip and fall over. Heading out to the club where they scheduled to meet, she prayed she'd make it through the night without incidents.

"Hi guys! It's so good to *sniffle* finally see you" Molly was relieved that she managed to avoid sounding congested. Her nasal-spray seemed to be doing the trick.

"Yeah, it's been too long" Natalie cleared her throat in the middle of the sentence, hoping no one has noticed. Fortunately for her, the other girls had their own worries.

"Let's get inside the club and get this party started" Jaime suggested. She wanted to get into the dimly lit club where it would be harder to notice if her nose started running again.

"Sounds good to me" Alison said, grateful for the opportunity to get out of the cold night air. "Don't forget we're all going to my house later for some after-party drinks".

"Why oh why did I have to bring that up?" she thought, regretting her decision. She had no idea that her house was at a much better state than her friends'. They went in the club, danced, drank some cocktails and genuinely tried to have a good time. At first, it seemed to be working. Each of them gradually started feeling more relaxed, even forgetting her cold and her worries occasionally. However, as the night went on their colds started reappearing. First it was subtle: A sniffle, a little cough, a stifled sneeze, having to run to the bathroom for a nose blow. Later, as they were heading towards Alison's house, they were all somewhat drunk and thus less careful.

"He E TsheShoo!" Natalie sprayed the sidewalk with a messy sneeze as she got out of the cab.

"Careful there Datalie *sniffle* you albost got be with that sdeeze" Jaime said as she emerged after her.

"Sorry Jaibe *sniffle*. I thidk I bight've put od too buch perfube" said Natalie.

"Looks like it's Hu Pchoo! gettig idto Hea PchuShoo! by dose too" said Molly.

"Bide too" said Alison. "That bust be why I'b startig to soudd so stuffed up".

"Oh defiditely *sniffle* Be too" Jaime said and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "He I Tshoo! Whoa *sniffle* Excuse be. By sdeezes always soudd louder whed I'b a little drudk".

"Ha Ishoo!" Alison almost screamed out her sneeze.

"Tell be about it" she said. "I thidk I've got the adswer for it though".

"Bore dridks?" aske Natalie.

"E.. ege..... eha Ishoo! Exactly" Alison replied, fanning her hand in front of her face.

The four of them got inside Alison's house, where they drank some more cocktails. As time went by they got drunker. They also got more sniffly and congested. Every now and then, one of them would let out a loud sneeze ("from the perfume"), rarely covering it. Whenever they did cover their sneezes, it only resulted in their bare forearms getting misted with the spray. At some point, each of them would wonder why her friends didn't comment on her spraying them with sneezes, not realizing that the others were thinking the exact same thing.

"Well *sniffle* todight has beed a lot of fud *sniffle* but I thidk I should be gettig hobe dow Hua Pchoo!" Molly got up from the couch she was sitting on, only to be pushed back into sitting down by a powerful sneeze.

"Bless you Bolly Hei Tishoo! Oh gooddess be *sniffle*. Datalie's perfub is so strodg" said Jaime.

"Hey! I said I was He Etsh Shoo! sorry *sniffle* did't I? Haa TsheShooo!" sneezed Natalie. "Cobe to thidk about it *sniffle* I guess I should be headig hobe too".

"You girls ared't goig adywhere" Alison said, somehow managing to stand up.

"What do you bead Alisod?" Molly asked.

"I bead you're all too drudk add too sick to go adywhere Hae Ishoo!" Alison replied and sneezed. "Let's face it *sniffle* it's dot perfube that's bakig us sdeeze *sniffle* we're all Ha I Ishoo! sick".

"Thadk god sobebody fidally said that" said Natalie. "I was just startig to get over this bodster of a cold I had *sniffle* but I did't wadt to be the reasod we'd have to cadcel agaid".

"Hu PchuShoo! Ugh! I've had the worst cold of by life these past few days" said Molly. "By head add feet have beed killig be all dight lodg add I just wadt to get hobe add crawl back idto bed.

"By dose just wod't stop ruddig" Jaime said and sniffled. "This is a Hei Tshoo! dightbare".

"I've beed Ishoo! sdeezig Ha Ishoo! dodstop" said Alison. "Dode of you would bake it bake hobe with a cold this bad. You girls bight as well spedd the dight here add hope you're able to go back hobe toborrow".

But their colds only got worse the following day. Not only that, it seemed that each of them was suffering from another's symptoms. Alison had Natalie's fever chills, Natalie had Jaime's runny nose, Jaime had Molly's aches and congestion and Molly had Alison's continuous sneezes.

"Hua Pchoosh! Oh god bake by dose stop Hu E Pchoo!" Molly bellowed, blowing a hole thorough a tissue.

"Cad you please keep it dowd? By head is Ha Tishoo! killig be" Jaime had a cold compress on her forehead and her feet in a tub of warm water. The cold compress flew when she sneezed.

"She cad't help it Jaibe" said Alison. Trust be *sniffle I kdow what it's like to He Ishoo! have to sdeeze all the tibe. I just wish I could get warb sobehow".

"I'll rub your feet if you rub bide id returd Alisod" said Natalie, who had balled up pieces of tissues in her leaking nose. "I cad't probise they wod't sbell though. We wedt He TsheShoo! dadcig last dight after all".

"You dod't have to tell be about it" said Jaime. "As stuffed up as by dose is *sniffle* I cad still sbell Bolly's feet frob Hei Itshoo! all the way over here".

"Hey! That's dot fair!" Molly called. "By feet hurt frob last dight add I deed to air theb out".

"To be fair *sniffle* the sbell is ticklig by dose too He Etsh Shoo!" Natalie sneezed out the balled up tissues in her nose. "Great *sniffle* Dow I deed bore tissues".

"I'll get sobe for you Datalie" said Alison. "Also *sniffle* gettig by feet rubbed soudds Ha Ishoo! awesobe. I probise I'll rub yours id returd".

"Could sobeode please He E Pchoosh, Hua PchuAsh! rub bide too?" Molly asked.

"Dot it!" the other three girls called in unison and touched their red noses, which they then had to blow. Molly wanted to say something, but she decided to use that time to blow her own nose before she would have to sneeze again. Even though their colds got worse again just when they were starting to get over them, and even though each of them was suffering from new symptoms, at least they got to have their girls night out and none of them had to take the blame for it being cancelled again. Still, they decided that if any of them gets such a bad cold in the future, they won't begrudge her cancelling a girls night out if it meant sparing the rest of them from catching that cold.

The End

Edited December 30, 2023 by Likesn

[Likesn]

Mending:

A sense of betrayal can really damage any kind of relationship. No matter how "slight" it might seem, if someone feels betrayed it can be very hard to restore their trust. Even the closest friendships can be unraveled by an act of betrayal. If anything, the closer you are it only makes it worse, even if the person who hurt you don't think they've done anything wrong. For one group of four friends, a rush act by one of them created a rift that threatened to tear the whole group apart. It hasn't even been three weeks since Annette and her boyfriend broke up when she saw him kissing someone else at party. To make matters worse, the person he was kissing was Mandy, one of her closest friends. Annette had zero expectations from Charly, her ex-boyfriend, but she felt like Mandy betrayed her in the worst possible way. Their two good friends, Gemma and Kate, suggested that they talk it over, but they refused. Mandy claimed that it has been enough time and she has done nothing wrong. That only made Annette angrier and completely reluctant to talk to Mandy. Kate and Gemma feared that this might be the end of their group if they don't come up with a solution soon.

"They're both so stubborn! It's driving me crazy!!" Kate said with growing frustration. She and Gemma met in Gemma's house and discussed ways to solves this crisis.

"I know" Gemma sighed and sat on her large bed. She had the biggest house of them all, which was the reason the group often met there. "If only there was a way to get them talking with each other again, but none of them would even be in the same room with the other".

"Maybe they just need some space and time" Kate suggested.

"No" Gemma said in her most determined voice. "That's the last thing they need. What they really need is to spend time with each other, time that would remind them why the became such good friends in the first place".

"Are you sure?" Kate asked.

"Positive" Gemma replied, still determined. "The problem is I can't think of any scenario of them spending time together in the foreseeable future".

"Mandy needs to get sick" Kate said out of the blue.

"Really? You're taking sides now? I mean sure, Mandy did something she shouldn't have but I still think Annette is overreacting, at least a little" said Gemma.

"No silly, that's the chance we need" said Kate.

"I'm not following you" Gemma said with a confused look on her face.

"Think about it: Who's the one person you can guarantee will be by your side if you get sick? Annette. She turns into this super-hero/nurse type whenever one of us has so much as the sniffles" said Kate.

"Hey, you're right!" Gemma called. "She's always there for us when we're sick. That's actually one of the best things about her, the way she just drops everything and rushes to take care of us".

"Exactly" said Kate. "Just imagine it: Annette coming here, thinking she's just going to meet the two of us, only to find Mandy here, sick as a dog. Her caring instincts will surely kick-in".

"Wait, why does it have to happen here?" Gemma asked. "You know how I always... oh..." she sighed.

"Sorry Gemms, but it's bound to happen soon anyway, might as well use it to our advantage" Kate gave Gemma a soft tap of encouragement on her shoulder.

Gemma sighed again.

"I guess you're right" she said.

"Besides, you know that I hardly ever get sick" Kate smiled proudly.

 

Sure enough, only a few days later Gemma had a sniffly, sneezy cold in her nose. As Kate stated, it wasn't very unusual. Gemma had an unfortunate tendency to catch every bug that was going around. This made her the usual candidate for Annette's caring, but now she needed to find a way to get Mandy sick. Kate predicted that Mandy will most likely be feeling lonely, isolated by her actions. This made her more likely to accept a friendly invitation from Gemma. As luck would have it, Kate found out that the building where Mandy's apartment was has been scheduled for fumigation in the coming days. That was the perfect opportunity for Mandy to spend some time at Gemma's house.

"Hey roobie" Gemma greeted Mandy as she opened the door. She was wearing a fluffy pink gown and matching slippers. Her hair was messy and her nose was bright red.

"Gemma! You look awful!" Mandy called.

"That's so dice of you to say Haa Chooo! I'b just feelig a little udder the weather at the bobedt Hui Chooo!" both of Gemma's sneezes were uncovered and directed towards Mandy.

"Cover your mouth!" Mandy backed away. "I don't want to catch this"!

"Sorry" Gemma said and sniffled. "It's just a cold though *sniffle* dothig too serious".

"Don't give me that" said Mandy. "We both know every little germ you catch turns into something awful, usually just in time to be passed over to someone else".

"Your buildig is beig fubigated, so right dow I'b your Haaa Choooooooo! best optiod" said Gemma.

Mandy knew that Gemma was right.

"Dod't worry *sniffle* I'll just Hi Chooooooo! stay id by roob bost of the tibe" Gemma led Mandy inside, closing the door behind her and sealing her fate.

 

"Ha Ha Haa Ha I Tshoooo, Hi Tshoooooooo, Hi Itshooooooooo! I hate you so buch Gebba *sniffle* you add your stupid gerbs" Mandy said two days later.

The bed in Gemma's guestroom was covered with used tissues and inside it was Mandy, her bare feet sticking out of the covers and her nose red and runny.

"I'b sorry Baddy" Gemma said and wiped her own red nose with a tissue. She was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Guess by cold was Haaa Choooooooo! dot as sball as I thought it was".

"Dot to bedtiod super codtagious Ha Ha Tshooo, Hei Tshooooo, Hi Tishooooo, Haaa Tshioooooo!" Mandy launched into another fit of girly sneezes.

Just then, they heard a knock on the door.

"By savior has fidally arrived!" Gemma called and went to the door. She opened it and let Annette in.

"You're just id tibe Addette" Gemma said and wiped her leaking nose with a tissue.

"Am I really? Because it looks like you've had this cold for days" said Annette.

"For bost of the week dow actually Ha Ha Ha Chooo!" sneezed Gemma.

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" Annette asked. "You're lucky I spoke with Kate".

"Yeah *sniffle* lucky be" Gemma blew her nose, using the tissue to conceal her smile. Kate's conversation with Annette was, obviously, part of the plan.

"Alright, you need to be back in bed" Annette said and started leading Gemma towards her room on the second floor. "I'm going to take very good care of"

"Hiiiii Tshoooooooooooo!" a loud sneeze from the guestroom cut off Annette's sentence.

"What was that?" Annette asked the sniffling Gemma.

"Oh that's just Baddy" Gemma replied and coughed. "She's beed stayig here while her buildig is beig fubigated add udfortudately she Hu I Chooooooo! caught by cold".

"Huh. I see" said Annette. "Guess that's why you didn't tell me you were sick".

"I kdow thidgs are a little *sniffle* sedsitive betweed the two of you right dow" said Gemma.

"*sigh* Let's get you back into bed" said Annette.

"Please dod't be bad" said Gemma. "I was just tryig to Ha Ichooooo! do sobethig dice for a friedd *sniffle* you kdow *sniffle* like you would have dode".

"Bed" Annette ordered. She led Gemma to her bedroom and tucked her in. "You just rest now. I'll be back soon with some tea and medicine".

Annette went down to the kitchen. She made tea and put it on a tray, along with some pills and a cookie (sugar might not be good for you when you're sick, but she knew it would help Gemma feel better). When the tea was ready, she took the tray and was about to go back upstairs to Gemma's bedroom.

"Ha I Tshooooo, Haaaa Tshooooo, Ha Tishoooo! Gebba! *sniffle* I'b ruddig out of Tishooooooo!'s over here!" Mandy called from the guestroom.

She sounded so poor and desperate. As hard as Annette tried to ignore it, her innate urge to help a friend in need was stronger than her hurt feelings. The guestroom door was open, but Annette knocked on it softly anyway. Mandy lifted her head from one of her last tissues and let out a surprised gasp.

"What are you doig here?" she asked.

"It's nice to see you too" Annette said sarcastically. "I heard Gemma's sick, so I came to take care of her. No one told me there was another sick girl in this house".

"Listed Addette *sniffle* I'b really dot id the bood" said Mandy.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight. Here, drink this" Annette sat down on the bed and gave Mandy the tea. "Take the pills with it too. They'll help you feel better".

"Ared't those for Gebba?" Mandy asked.

"I'll just make her a new cup of tea" Annette shrugged. "And as for the pills, that girl can open up her own pharmacy. I guess it makes sense, considering she's sick all the time".

Mandy started laughing, but that led to a wet cough.

"Dod't bake be laugh" she said.

"You know what they say - laughter is the best medicine" Annette said and gave Mandy a gentle pat on the back to ease her cough.

"I thidk bedicide is the best bedicide Haaaai Tshooooo, Hi Tshooooooooo, I Tishoooooooo, Hi Itshoooooo, Ha Haaaa Tshoooooooooooo!" Mandy managed to put the tea down just in time before she was overcome by a massive fit of wet sneezes, spraying her surroundings.

"Oh god I'b such a bess" she whined.

"I'll go find you a new box of tissues" said Annette. "You're lucky Gemma keeps many of those around too".

"Thadk you Addette" said Gemma. "Listed *sniffle* I'b really sorry for, you kdow, everythig".

"Don't mention it" said Annette.

 

"He Eshoo! Did do ode ever teach you how to Eshoo! cover your bouth Baddy! Or baybe you odly kdow how to cover it with the lips of by He Ashoo, Eshoo! ex boyfriedd He Eshoo, HeShoo, Ha Eshoo!" sneezed Annette.

"Hey! What happeded to 'dod't bedtiod it'? Tishooooo, Hai Tshoooooo, Ha Ha Haaaa Tshooooooooooo!" Mandy asked and sneezed as well.

"Sorry *sniffle* You kdow how I cad sobetibes get cradky whed I'b sick" said Annette.

"It's be who should be sorry" said Mandy. "I'b the ode who got you sick".

"Betweed your sdeezes add Gebba's *sniffle* it's E Shoo! hard to tell who I He Ashoo! caught this Ha Eshoo! cold frob" Annette said and blew her nose, as did Mandy.

"Well well well, what have we here?" Kate turned to Gemma with a smug smile. It was the following day and the two of them were standing at the entrance to Gemma's guestroom.

"Baddy add Addette, together agaid" said Gemma. "Thick as Haaa Choooo! thieves".

"Bore like thick as sdot" said Annette. "I guess that's what you get whed you take care of Hu Eshoo, He Ashoo! two sick girls for a full day".

"It's so udfair that your odly reward is our cold" said Gemma.

"Wait *sniffle* it doesd't have to be" said Mandy.

"Too late *sniffle* I'b already sick" said Annette.

"Yeah, I Kdow *sniffle* but that doesd't bead I cad't take care of you *sniffle* as a little thadk you for all that you've dode *sniffle* add also as ad 'I'b sorry' for kissig your ex boyfried add gettig you sick" said Mandy.

"Exteddig ad olive bradch? I like the soudd of that" said Annette.

"How about I throw id a foot-rub as well?" Mandy suggested. "If you're adythig like be *sniffle* your feet bust be gettig cold whed your sick".

"They do" said Annette. "A foot-bassage soudds He Eshoo, Ha Ashoo! great right dow".

"Add I cad rub Baddy's feet later" said Gemma. "I bight dot be over this cold yet *sniffle* but I owe her that buch for Hu I Choooooo! gettig her sick".

"Yeah, I'm not touching any of you girls' feet, sick or not" said Kate. "You're lucky your noses are so stuffed up you probably can't tell that the whole house smells like feet. That being said, I am going to help you nurse your colds. It's my duty as the only healthy girl around. Besides, I'm pretty sure I won't get sick".

 

"He Pchooo, He Pchiiiii! Talk about fabous last words" Kate said that evening.

"I guess takig care of three sick girls was too buch, eved for ad ibbude systeb as strodg as yours" said Gemma. "The good dews is you cad stay here todight. By bed has edough roob for both of us".

"Hui Pchioo! I'd buch rather be id by owd bed todight *sniffle* but I'b too sick add tired to go adywhere" said Kate. "Do you have ady spare pajabas I could borrow"?

"As a batter of fact *sniffle* I've got sobethidg eved better" Gemma opened her closet and handed Kate a purple gown. "This should Hi I Chooooooo! keep you warb at dight".

"That's great Hei Pchiiiii!" sneezed Kate. "It looks very cobfortable".

"Addette add Baddy are soudd asleep" said Gemma. "We better call it ad early dight ourselves. Hopefully we'll feel better toborrow".

Kate changed into the gown and they both got into Gemma's bed.

"Your feet are freezig cold" Gemma giggled when Kate's toes touched her own under the covers.

"Dot Hui Pchoooo! adother word about by He Pchiii! feet!" Kate demanded.

"Relax *sniffle* I'b just teasig you" said Gemma. "Look at the bright side - our plad worked".

"You're right" Kate said and sniffled. "We got Baddy add Addette talkig agaid add dow they're back to beig best friedds. good for us".

She gave Gemma a high-five, but then her rapidly reddening nose started tickling. Gemma's bright red nose wasn't very far behind.

"Hui Pchooo!", "Haaaa Choooooooooo!" they both sneezed at the same time.

"Too bad I caught a cold while we got the job dode" Kate said before they both blew their noses. "Oh well *sniffle* guess it was a He Pchiiiiiii! sball price to pay".

The End

P.S. Yeah I know, it's the second time I used the "two sick girls in bed congratulating each other on a job well done with a high-five that turns into s simultaneous sneeze" trope in recent drabbles. Guess I just find that trope fascinating recently. Sue me 🤷‍♂️

[jke1995]

On 1/2/2024 at 11:36 AM, Likesn said:

P.S. Yeah I know, it's the second time I used the "two sick girls in bed congratulating each other on a job well done with a high-five that turns into s simultaneous sneeze" trope in recent drabbles. Guess I just find that trope fascinating recently. Sue me 🤷‍♂️

A trope worth repeating. Loved seeing several different tropes at work. From Annette having the nursing instinct to Kate never getting to Gemma catching every single germ she gets. I really enjoyed this one

[Likesn]

It Pours:

The alarm clock went on and Rachel rolled over in her bed. She had no desire to start her day, but then again - that has been the case for some time now. Ever since she and Rafael broke up it seemed like every morning was rough. Last week Rachel finally found the strength to stop following Rafael on all social media platforms. That newfound strength probably had something to do with the picture she saw, of him with another girl. Rachel turned the alarm clock off and started getting ready for work. She had a junior position in a small accounting firm and since the breakup she's been trying to immerse herself in work, in an attempt to take her mind off Rafael. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she worked she just didn't seem to be doing well on her job. Her boss was clearly displeased and despite all her efforts Rachel failed to turn his opinion around. To top it all off, Rachel had trouble adjusting to her new living arrangement. After three years of dating Rafael, she had to move out of his luxurious home and since she couldn't afford her own place she found herself sharing an apartment with a roommate. Said roommate, Cassie, was all in all nice and polite, but the two of them just didn't seem to connect. Sasheer, Cassie's girlfriend, was a frequent guest in the house. Rachel had no problem with Sasheer, but seeing her and Cassie together was a painful reminder of what Rachel herself no longer had. As if that wasn't enough, Sasheer had a high paying job at an accounting firm that was much more prestigious than the one Rachel worked for. One more reason for Rachel to be jealous.

Grey clouds in the sky reflected Rachel's mood perfectly as she got out of the apartment and into her car. She noticed that she was low on gas so she stopped to fill the tank. This decision ended up leading to her getting stuck in traffic, which resulted in her being late for work. For her boss, that was the last straw. She was summoned to a hearing later that morning and before lunch she was officially fired. Loveless and now out of job as well, Rachel thought having lunch at a restaurant she liked would make her feel at least a little better. The problem was the restaurant was on the other side of town and to make matters even worse her car broke down about 15 minutes away from the restaurant.

"But I just had my tank filled this morning!" Rachel shouted in frustration, but the car wouldn't budge.

She had to call a tow truck to get her car to a garage that was even further away across town. They informed her that fixing her car would cost more for her than buying a new one, so now she had no car as well. She got out of the garage and started a 10 minute walk towards the nearest bus station thinking this day couldn't get any worse. That assumption was proven wrong less than a minute later when rain started pouring down. Rachel forgot her umbrella in the car but decided not to go running back for it. Instead, she tried sprinting towards the bus station, only to see the bus leaving the station when she was finally getting there. The bus drove through a massive puddle and splashed Rachel with freezing muddy water as it passed her by. Already drenched by the cold rain, Rachel was shivering 20 minutes later when she got on the next bus. Not only was the heating on that bus broken, it was also packed full of people who all seemed to be sneezing and coughing. Rachel had no place to sit so she spent the whole ride (which lasted over an hour) standing, dripping water and getting constantly hit by coughs and sneezes.

 

"Oh my god! What happened to you?!" Cassie was appalled when Rachel walked into the apartment, shivering furiously and looking like she spent hours in a lake.

"I... I...... I....." overwhelmed with cold and misery, Rachel just couldn't speak.

"You're not usually back home this early" Cassie noted. "Is everything OK at work"?

"Hi Ishoo! Do" a wet sneeze restored Rachel's ability to speak. "I just had the He Ishoo! worse day of by I Shoo! life. By boss He Ishoo! fired be, *sniffle* by car broke dowd, I got caught id the Hi Ishoo! raid add after havig a bus full of people I shoo! sdeezig add coughig all over be I'b He I Shoo! cobig dowd with a cold".

"Poor thing! That sounds terrible!" Cassie called. "Wait here. I'll go get you some dry clothes from your room. You need to change ASAP".

"Tha.... *sniffle* thadk you. Ppppplease hhhhhurry I shoo!" Rachel sneezed again.

"And some tissue too" Cassie said and rushed to Rachel's bedroom.

 

"Ha I Shoo!" Rachel sneezed into a tissue later that evening. Even though she was wearing warm clothes and had her feet in a bowl of hot water Cassie made for her, she was still shivering slightly from being cold. Her nose was getting red from all the times she had to blow it, since it was dripping constantly.

"The good news is you don't seem to have a fever" Cassie said after checking the thermometer she pulled out of Rachel's mouth moments before. "I'll have to keep watching you to make sure it stays that way".

"You wod't have to do it for lodg" Rachel said and gave her nose a wet blow. "I feel like I'b dyig".

"It's just a cold. You're not dying" said Cassie.

"By life is over adyway *sniffle* so I bight as well just roll over add die" Rachel whined.

"Don't say things like that" Cassie said and handed Rachel another tissue.

"Why should't I? It's true" Rachel used the tissue to wipe her eyes, which began filling up with tears. "I have do job, do car, do boyfriedd add dow I have He Ishoo! the worst cold od earth".

"Guess it's true what they say - when it rains it pours" said Cassie. "You're forgetting one thing you do have though and that's me".

"Do offedse Cassie, but we haved't really beed best friedds *sniffle* just roobbates" said Rachel.

"None taken" said Cassie. "I know we haven't exactly been close since you moved in with me. Guess we were both just too caught up in our own life to notice each other's, but I promise you that's gonna change from now on. I'll prove it to you by helping you get over your cold".

"That's really dice of you Cassie *sniffle* thadks" said Rachel. "Are you sure Sasheer would't bidd though"?

"Mind what? That I'm taking care of my sick roommate? My caring nature is one of the things Sasheer loves most about me" said Cassie. "Besides, she's on a business trip and won't be here for the next few days".

 

"He Tshoo! I wish Sasheer was here *sniffle* I biss by girlfriedd" Cassie said and blew her red nose.

"She probably wod't be happy seeig you id adother girl's bed though Ha Ishoo!" sneezed Rachel. "You'll have a lot of explaidig to do".

It was two days after Rachel's terrible day. She was still nowhere near over her cold and on top of that she got Cassie sick, which was no big surprise given the fact that Cassie hasn't left her side and took care of her every need. It was a side of Cassie that Rachel didn't know and she felt really bad for giving Cassie her cold. That morning, Cassie started shivering from being cold. Since Rachel was still too sick to leave her bed, Cassie climbed into it and the two of them held each other in an attempt to keep warm.

"I'b so cold right dow I just dod't care E Tshoo, Tshoo!" Cassie sneezed twice more.

"Did I bedtiod how sorry I ab for gettig you sick?" Rachel asked.

"A few tibes *sniffle* add I told you it's dot your fault" Cassie replied.

"It kidda is though" said Rachel. "You're odly sick because I Hi Ishoo! sdeezed all over you".

"Ha Etshoo! Dow I cad returd a favor" said Cassie. "I'b sdeezig so buch add by dose would't stop ruddig. Baybe I should just keep a tissue pressed to it all the tibe".

"Here *sniffle* let be help you with that" Rachel grabbed a tissue and softly pressed it to Cassie's nose.

"That actually feels kidda dice" said Cassie. "He Tshoo! Ugh gross! I sdeezed od your hadd".

"Serves be right for Ha Ishoo! gettig you sick" said Rachel.

"E Tshoo, Tshoo, Ha Etshoo! Oh god *sniffle* the sdeezes just keep cobig" said Cassie.

"You kdow what they say *sniffle* whed it raids it I Shoo! pours" said Rachel.

 

"Hue Pchoo! Hodey I'b hobe!" Sasheer announced when she walked into the apartment two days later. "Your girlfriedd is sick add deeds sobe of your fabous dursig".

"Yeah Ha A Tshoo, E Tshoo! about that" Cassie came to greet her girlfriend with a tissue pressed again her red nose. "Rachel had a cold these past few days add I caught it frob her".

"That's dot fair Hu Pchooa!" Sasheer let out a messy sneeze. "I'b the odly ode who's cold you should catch".

"Oh really? *sniffle* Add who did you catch your cold frob?" Cassie asked.

"Blabe by assitadt Gary" Sasheer replied.

"Why *sniffle* did he sdeeze od you? Dod't cobe here tellig be I'b dot supposed to catch a cold frob by sick roobbate if you caught yours frob a bad" said Cassie. "That is Ha Etshoo! so buch worse".

"Dod't be silly *sniffle* Gary dever gets sick" said Sasheer. "He dever so buch as sdiffles, that's ode of the reasods I keep hib aroudd. But dot adybore . That idiot had be flyig couch idstead of busidess od by way back here frob the codvedtiod. Everyode add their bother od that plade had Hua Pchooo! disgustig colds *sniffle* the kidd that odly people flyig couch cad have. Od top of that *sniffle* it was He Pchooo! freezig cold od that plade so it's do big surprise that dow I have the Hu Pchoooo! bother of all colds".

"He Ishoo! I hope it's dot as bad as bide" Rachel said as she walked out of her bedroom, also with a tissue pressed against her nose. "Sorry for gettig your girlfriedd sick by the way".

"She did't do it od purpose" Cassie rushed to defend Rachel. "Besides *sniffle* she Haa Teshoo! lost her job add her car the very sabe day she caught her cold *sniffle* so dod't be too hard od her".

"Wait a bidute *sniffle* dod't you work for that firb dowdtowd?" Sasheer asked. "I always forget their dabe".

"You dod't have to rebebber their dabe adybore sidce I do lodger Hi Ishoo! work there" said Rachel.

"Cobe work for our firb thed" Sasheer suggested.

"Really? You thidk they'd hire be?" Rachel asked.

"Sidce Gary is dow by forber assistadt *sniffle* I cad hire you to replace hib Hua Pchoooa!" sneezed Sasheer. "Do well at that job add you'll Hue Pchoooo! bove ahead id do tibe".

"Dot to bedtiod you'll get a cobpady car" Cassie added. "Also *sniffle* I'b sure you'll beet a cute guy there. Sasheer says there's He Tshoo! lots of theb aroudd".

"Hue Pcha! That's right" said Sasheer. "I'b obviously dot idterested id ady of theb, so kdock yourself out".

"Soudds like everythig I could dreab of" said Rachel. "Thadk you Ishoo! so buch Sasheer".

"It's like they say - whed it raids it pours" Sasheer said before feeling the inside of her nose tickling again. "Speakig of which *sniffle" It's about to be raidig sdeezes id here He A Pchooo, Hue Pchoooo, He Pchoooa! Rachel *sniffle* start assistig be right dow add get be a tissue please.

Rachel just went ahead and gave Sasheer a full box.

"Thadk you" Sasheer said and gave her nose a gurgling blow. "Dow cobe od Cassie *sniffle* let's go to bed add you cad assist be id ways Rachel cad't".

The End

[Likesn]

Switch:

Sally Summers hated winter. Her last name aside, winter was the season when she couldn't enjoy a lot of things she usually liked to do. For example, going out to an all night party wearing a revealing dress was not an option, unless you wanted to catch your death. Hanging out with friends was also more difficult. They'd have to meet indoors, where it was warm, and that limited their options. Plans were often cancelled because of heavy rain or snow. Even getting to work was challenging, for the very same reasons. Bad weather and people being cramped together in close spaces led to the number one reason Sally hated winter so much: She always got sick. A lot. Every winter she'd catch about 3 or 4 colds, not to mention the occasional flu. On top of that, she never caught just "small" colds. Her colds lasted for days, with symptoms that confined her to her home, only able to move from her bed to the living room and sometimes the kitchen. Whenever she got sick, she always felt like other people were living out the life that she was missing. That only made her feel worse. She often wallowed in her misery, wishing she could switch places with those people.

"Ha E Pchoo!" Sally let out a wet sneeze, followed by a tired groan.

It was her third cold this winter and she spent the last five days sick at home. She was sitting on the couch in her living room, covered in blankets and watching TV. Her bare feet, cold and tired, were the only part of her body, aside from her head, that was not covered. She placed them on the table for comfort, next to a big box of tissues which she used to blow her red nose with.

"Ugh! What a biserable cold" she complained and gave her nose a gurgling blow. "Add there's dot eved adythig good to watch od TV".

Sally flipped through the channels, her head heavy with congestion. Her nose was blocked solid and her eyelids felt like they were made of lead. She was sick, tired and bored.

"Ha A Pchoo!" she sneezed again. The only advantage of being home sick at home was that she didn't have to cover her big sneezes, the ones that always embarrassed her when she was in public.

"Cold and flu season caught up with you"?

Sally almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a loud voice coming from the TV. It was the voice of an unknown male narrator and she found herself looking at a channel she did not recognize.

"You cad say that agaid *sniffle* but there's do deed to shout" Sally wiped her nose with a tissue. "I cad't tell if cobbercials are louder these days or it just seebs that way because I'b sick".

The bright lights of the commercial on the screen only made Sally's head ache even more. She picked up the remote control, ready to change the channel.

"Wait! Don't switch the channel yet!" the narrator called.

"Oh by god!" Sally rubbed her aching temples. "This cobbercial is way too aggressive".

"Don't you wish switching out of your cold was as easy as changing the channel"?

The narrator's statement got Sally curious.

"Actually *sniffle* that would've beed great" Sally said, way too sick and tired to care about the fact that she was talking to someone who wasn't listening. Or was he?

"Then press the green button on your remote control".

Sally thought she was losing her mind.

"But there's do greed buttod od by rebote codtrol He A Pchoo! Hey! What the hell?! That buttod was dever there before" Sally opened her eyes after her big sneeze and saw a large green button on the remote. Thinking she has nothing to lose, she pressed it. Words appeared on her screen:

Which winter illness are you suffering from right now?

1) A cold
2) The flu
3) Unsure

Sally was pretty sure she had a cold, but it was a really bad one, even compared to the colds she usually caught. Also, she heard there was a bad flu going around recently and she didn't have the flu yet that winter, so maybe that was what she had. She decided to go with number 3 and used her remote to choose it.

Who got you sick?

1) Someone at work
2) A friend
3) Family member
4) A stranger
5) No idea

"It cad't be fabily *sniffle* I haved't seed bide id bodths" Sally blew her nose again.

"So choose a different option".

By now, Sally decided to just accept the fact that the voice on TV was talking to her. She picked up her remote and chose the last option, since she really had no idea.

Who would you like to trade place with?

1) Someone at work
2) A friend
3) Family member
4) A stranger
5) Dealer's choice

"Stop suggestig fabily bebbers!" Sally demanded. Much to her surprise, the third option disappeared from the screen. She shrugged and decided to go with the last one again.

The words on the screen faded and Sally was shocked when the the screen showed the front desk of the office where she worked. Sitting behind that desk was her coworker, Yelena.

"Sally?" Yelena looked up and saw her coworker on TV. Sally knew that there was a screen on the wall right in front where Yelena and her were sitting, but it always just showed pictures of landscape and such.

"Hi Yeleda *sniffle* I'b Ha A Pchoo! sick" said Sally.

"You're always sick" said Yelena. "That's why I have to do your work too".

"Now switch"!

"Ha Tshi!" Yelena suddenly sneezed.

"Bless you" said Sally.

"Coming down with something at work?" the narrator almost sounded like he was enjoying the situation.

"I can't get her sick through the TV, can't I? It doesn't make sense. Hey! I'm not congested anymore" Sally suddenly noticed. She felt great, rejuvenated even.

"What's happedig to be? I cad't A Tshi! breath through by dose" Yelena grabbed a tissue from the box on the front desk and brought it to her nose, which was suddenly red and leaking.

"E Tshi, He Tshi, A Tshi! What did you Ha Tshi! do to be?" Yelena asked while sneezing helplessly.

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" Sally called.

"Thed how cobe I cad't Tshi, Tshi, He I Tshi! stop sdeezig add you're dot sick adybore? Ha Ha Tshi!" Yelena brought a handful of tissue to her face and gave her nose a wet blow.

"You switched!" the narrator called.

"Please Sally Ha Tshi! chadge it back E Tshi! I'b Tshi, Hei Tshi! beggig you" said Yelena.

"But... I don't want to" said Sally. "I've been super sick for days. It feels great to not be sick anymore".

"Sick at work, how embarrassing" the narrator said as Yelena kept sneezing and blowing her nose. "I bet it would've been easier if you could be resting at home, putting your feet up and relaxing in front of the TV".

"By feet do hurt all of a sudded" said Yelena. She took off her shoes and put her feet up on the front desk, too sick to worry about anyone passing by.

"Oh god your feet smell!" Sally called. "No way my feet smell so bad when I'm sick".

"When your nose is stuffed up, you can't tell" said the narrator.

"I cad't sbell a thig *sniffle* so it doesd't bother be Ha A Tshi!" sneeze Yelena.

"This is terrible! I can't stand it" Sally waved her hand in front of her face.

"Let's fix it then. Time to switch back".

"Ha Haa Haaaa Pchoooooooo! Oh bad *sniffle* dot agaid" Sally's nose was blocked solid once more.

"Enjoy the rest of your sick days" Yelena said, no longer sick.

"He Pchoo, Ha A Pchoo! It was dice beig healthy *sniffle* I biss it" Sally said as the image of the office and Yelena faded from the screen.

"Let's go another round then".

Before Sally had the chance to say anything, the image on her screen changed again. This time, she found herself staring at what seemed to be the inside of a hotel room. Two friends of hers, Gemma and Nina, were sitting on the bed. It seemed like they were just settling in.

"I am so glad we finally got the chance to take some time off" said Nina.

"Too bad our room only has one bed though" said Gemma.

"Hey! It was the only room that was available!" Nina called. "Would you rather have stayed at home where it's winter or enjoy the warm tropical weather here"?

"You're right. It's much better here" Gemma replied. "Even if we have to share a bed. "Whoa! Is it just me or is Summers on TV"?

"Hi guys" Sally said and sniffled. "Edjoyig sobe vacatiod tibe id the sud while I'b all alode at hobe *sniffle* sick add Ha A Pchoo! sdeezy"?

"I see her too" Nina told Gemma. "Let's hope this isn't some type of tropical fever".

"Did someone say 'fever'? Time to switch"!

"He TsheShoo!", "Hu Pchoosh!" sneezed Nina and Gemma respectively.

"By dose!" Gemma called. "It's Hu PchuAsh! full of bucus".

"Oh gosh *sniffle* bide too Hei TsheShoo!" Nina said and sneezed.

"Mine isn't" Sally said, taking a deep breath through her clear nose. "Finally, I get to have a vacation of my own, a vacation from being sick".

"Subbers *sniffle* I ab goig to kill you whed we get back hobe Hua Pchoosh!" Dida *sniffle* do they have ady tissues id this hotel?" Gemma asked.

"I thidk there's Tshei Shoooo! a box id the bathroob" Nina replied. "Get be sobe too Gebba".

Sally soon heard Gemma's honking nose blows from the bathroom. Shortly after, Nina was given some tissues which she destroyed with gurgling nose blows of her own.

"Looks like winter caught up with you on your vacation".

"It's Hae TsheShooo! so cold id here all of a sudded. Let's get idto bed to keep warb" Nina suggested.

"This is defiditely dot how I wadted to spedd by vacatiod Hue Pchoosh!" Gemma sneezed. She and Nina took off their sandals and climbed into bed, their bare feet sticking out from under the covers".

"Whoa!" Sally called as her unblocked nose was hit with a blast of smell from both girls feet.

"Two sick girls means two pairs of sweaty feet".

"My nose can't take it anymore!" Sally was struggling to breath. "Switch back! Switch back"!!

"As you wish".

"He A Pchoo! Buch better" Sally said as her friends disappeared from the screen. "Gebba add Dida cad have their little vacatiod *sniffle* as lodg as they're willig to put up with the sbell of each other's feet".

"No solution is perfect".

"I bet sobe solutiods are" Sally said and blew her nose. "Id fact *sniffle* I bet celebrities dod't have to deal with ady of this. They probably have like special bedicatiods or sobethidg, because I dever see theb sick".

"Let's test that theory then. To the entertainment channel"!

The screen then showed some kind of award ceremony. A beautiful actress in a stunning red dress and high-heels was walking on the red carpet. As she was getting into the building, a strange looked appeared on her face. The reporters and photographers moved on to other celebrities, but one camera seemed focus on that actress, escorting her as she rushed into a side room where she could be alone.

"He Ishoo! Thadk god dobody saw that" the actress said, her nose suddenly full of congestion.

"Huh! I guess celebrities really do get sick just like anyone else" said Sally.

"Who are you add what did you Ha Ishoo! do to be?" the actress asked.

"I'm Sally summers and I was sick, until I switched places with you" Sally fully enjoyed her ability to speak normally once more.

"Thed switch it back, Sally Subbers" the actress demanded. "I deed to get back out there sood add I cad't have He Ishoo! by bakeup ruided by Ishoo! sdeezes".

"You won't be so stable walking on any red carpet when you're sneezing your head off, not in those high-heels of yours".

"Ha Ishoo! Good thig I cad take theb off id this roob" the actress said and kicked her high-heels off.

"Oh no! Why did you have to tell her that?" Sally started waving her hands in front of her face again. "I guess celebrities can also have stinky feet just like anyone else".

"Hey! You try walkig aroudd id these" said the actress. "See how good your feet sbell after ad edtire of He Ishoo! wearig high-heels".

"I guess you're right" Sally sighed. "Time to switch back".

"Your wish is my command".

"Haaa Pchoooooooooo! Well *sniffle* it was fud while it lasted" said Sally.

"Want to switch again"?

"Do *sniffle* I cad't take it adybore" Sally replied. "Isd't there ady other way? Sobethig I cad to to help bake be feel better without eddig up sufferig the stidky sbell of sobeode else' feet"?

"There is one thing you can do".

"Tell be please *sniffle* I'll do adythig" Sally begged.

"You can always try getting some real medicine".

"He A Pchooooooooooo!" Sally woke up with a huge sneeze. Her TV was showing that award ceremony she saw earlier, but there was no narrator and no green button on her remote. The actress in the red dress was waving to her fans, her makeup fully intact.

"Yup *sniffle* real bedicide is probably a good idea. Do bore dappig id frodt of the TV for be" Sally decided. "I better go to the He He Haaa Pchoooooooooooo! pharbacy".

The End

Edited January 20 by Likesn

[Likesn]

I watched a show sometime ago (it's not really important which show) where they talked about people having to plan their sick days ahead. They said something about the flu not working with an Outlook calendar (with a cute picture of a calendar that had things like "infect Jennifer" written on it) and that really got me thinking. Now I finally thought of a way to turn those thoughts into something.

Flu Firm:

Taking sick days during cold and flu season is no easy task. With everyone around sniffling and sneezing, workers are always needed, even if they're not feeling their best. Not to mention the dilemma of coming to work sick and potentially infecting your coworkers. One company had a very strict policy regarding that subject: All workers had to come to work sick. That might seem really harsh, but with the flu itself being the product, workers were always sick anyway. As a matter of fact, sick workers were even more productive in this company.

"Hae Cho!" Samantha, the CEO, announced her arrival at the office with her signature loud sneeze. Wearing a black suite with a matching pair of high-heels, her short blond hair pulled into a tight bun, she looked very well kept. She had to, since her appearance was basically further advertisement of the product.

People at most jobs only take a few sick days each year. For Samantha however, there were only a handful of days a year when she didn't have the flu. The rest of her workers followed her lead.

"Good bordig Sabadtha" said her personal assistant, Kendall. "There's Hi Pchoo! a few bessages frob cliedts you deed to go over before ludch".

"He Cho! I will Keddall *sniffle* thadk you" Samantha pulled out a gray handkerchief and gave her red nose a gurgling blow. "Do I have ady beetidgs today"?

"A ted o'clock staff beetig with Hei Pchoo! a presedtatiod of our plads for the dext quarter" Kendall replied and dabbed at her own nose with a purple handkerchief. The use of handkerchiefs was encouraged at the firm, so they could save money that would've been used to buy tissues.

"Good *sniffle*. This beads I have edough tibe to He E Cho! go over ebails id Hua Cho! by roob" Samantha said and went to said room. The firm was rather small, with a small staff, so the CEO was the only one who had a room all to herself. Kendall had to share a room with Jaquelin, who was in charge of accounting and finance.

"He Tshe! How is Sabadtha doig this bordig?" Jaquelin asked Kendall when she returned to their room. As the notoriously "big spender" of the firm, Jaquelin's desk was always full of used tissues and empty bottles of nasal-spray, which she constantly used on her long nose.

"The sabe as usual I guess Hi Pchoo!" Kendall sneezed into her handkerchief. "Why? *sniffle* Should she be worried about our dext quarter"?

"Dot as far as accoudtig add fidance goes" Jaquelin replied. "Flu seasod has beed goig pretty well this year *sniffle* so we should expect Ha Tshe! a steady revedue".

"As lodg as the presedtatiod shows it *sniffle* I'b sure we'll all have a good day" said Kendall.

"Baybe. That would depedd od what the others have to show He Tshe!" sneezed Jaquelin.

 

"He Esh! Id codclusiod *sniffle* the data I have gathered clearly shows that we haved't reached our full potedtial yet *sniffle* but we're od the right track" Nadine, the firm's analyst, sat back down and attended to her drippy nose with a red handkerchief.

"That is a very edcouragig adalysis He A Cho! Thadk you Dadide" said Samantha.

"Esh, Esh, Ha Esh! I hope by dext ode is Esh, Esh! eved He Esh, Esh, Ha Ash! better" Nadine said through a fit of sneezes. She's been holding them back through her part in the presentation and was now finally able to let them out into her handkerchief.

"Dext we'll hear frob Shaddod about the latest dews id research add developbedt. Shaddod - the floor is yours" Samantha said and blew her nose while Shannon stood up.

"I've got three words for you Sabadtha - fever add chills" Shannon picked up the remote control from the table and changed the picture on the screen. Nadine's graphs were replaced by a picture of none other than Shannon herself, sitting on the beach.

"Shaddod *sniffle* I thidk it's the wrodg picture" Kendall said and the rest of the people in the room giggled.

"Dot at all" Shannon said calmly. "Thidk about it *sniffle* we deed to distidguish our product frob the ode offered by the cobbod cold cobpady. Sdeezig? He Tshoo! Coughig? *cough cough*. A red add sdiffly dose? *sniffle sniffle*. They have all of that too. We deed sobethig that's just ours. Dow *sniffle* look at this picture. It was taked last subber. Cad you see by skid? I had goose-bubps He Tshoo, Tshoo, A Tshoo! Goose-bubps! Id the biddle of subber! Od the beach id the sud! That's a recogdizable tradebark if I ever saw ode. But that's Ha Atshoo! dot all".

Shannon changed the picture on the presentation again. Now it showed a woman sitting on a bench in the winter. That woman was actually Shontelle, who was in charge of distribution. She was dressed very lightly for winter and had her bare feet stretched out in front of her. Still, sweat was clearly visible on her arms, legs and feet.

"By thadks to Shodtelle for helpig be with by presedtatiod" said Shannon.

"Hiya Tshia! Dod't bedtiod it" Shontelle said and blew her nose wetly.

"Drops of sweat id the biddle of widter" Shannon announced proudly. "You cad't get that with just the He Tshoo! cobbod cold. Odly we cad provide such clear evidedce of sickdess".

"Wodderful work Shaddod" said Samantha. "Daturally *sniffle* dow we will dow hear frob Shodtelle about the recedt developbedts in distributiod".

Shannon handed the remote control to Shontelle.

"Ha E Tshoo!" she sneezed as she sat back down and grabbed a tissue from the box on the table.

"Odce agaid *sniffle* this is our key distributiod elebedt" Shontelle said and pointed at Shannon, who was giving her nose a series of productive blows.

"It's sibple" Shontelle continued. "As lodg as people keep sdeezig, preferably opedly, we should expect do problebs codcerdig distributiod Hei Tshia!" she demonstrated by spraying the conference room.

"Ho A Cho! That is all very well *sniffle* but what about other bethods?" Samantha asked.

"Coughs are our secodd best bethod" Shontelle said before once again demonstrating, this time with a few wet coughs. "Other thad that *sniffle* there's dot buch we cad do".

"I see" said Samantha. "Well *sniffle* at least we kdow sdeezes add coughs are still effective".

"Ha Ye Tsha! Just as effecitve as they've always beed He Tshia! That's it for be" Shontelle coughed and sat back down, grabbing her handkerchief.

"Last but certaidly dot least *cough cough* let's have Ha Cho! Abadda tell us about our barketidg efforts" Samantha said before the sound of her nose blows filled the room.

"As you all kdow *sniffle* we've always had a probleb distidguishig our product frob the ode offered by the cobbod cold cobpany" Amanda started. "Red doses are very id this year"

"Hi Ach!" Samantha cut her off with an unexpected sneeze.

"Excuse be Abadda" she said. "Please codtidue".

"Right *sniffle* where was I? Oh yeah *sniffle* red doses" Amanda continued. "As I was sayig *sniffle* they are very popular this seasod *sniffle* but that helps our cobpetitors"

"Hi Pchoo! Sorry! Dod't bidd be" said Kendall.

"Just as buch as it help us Ha Choo!" a "classic" sneeze escaped Amanda's own red nose after she finally managed to complete her sentence.

"Thed why dod't you A Tshe! cobe up with sobethig that's udique to us *sniffle* just like Shaddod did?" Jaquelin suggested and then gave her nose a disgusting blow.

"Actually Jaquelid *sniffle* that's exactly what I've beed doig" said Amanda. "As a batter of fact *sniffle* Shaddod add I have beed workig together od a slogad for our dew cabpaigd: 'Bakig fever hot'. The slogad was Shaddod's idea add I thidk it's Ha Choo, Choo, Choo! goig to be a hit".

"What about Esh, Esh, He Esh, Esh! products for the dew cabpaigd?" Nadine asked.

"Thidgs like scarfs *sniffle* sweaters Hiye Tshia! baybe eved therbobeters?" Shontelle added.

"Dadide add Shodtelle both bake good poidts" said Samantha.

"I'b way ahead of you Sabadtha Ha Ha Choo!" sneezed Amanda. "All those thigs add buch bore are beig badufactured just as we speak. We should have everythig ready just id tibe".

"Great work Abadda Ho A Cho! Add the rest of you as well" Samantha congratulated.

"Dext quarter is whed we're really goig to bake our big break Ha Ha Choo, Choo, Choo, Choo, Choo! I cad Haa Chooooo! feel it" said Amanda. The rest of the women just nodded and blew their noses.

The End

[Likesn]

One and Done:

For years, Carly thought that she was unique. Her body had this function that she discovered when she was a teenager and since then it's been working like clockwork. Every year, without exception, she would catch exactly one cold. It didn't happen at a specific time, thought it was usually around late autumn or early winter, but it never failed. Her annual cold was usually pretty rough, but after she recovered from it she was somehow immune to colds for the rest of the year. This made life a little easier for her as she got older. Not having to worry about missing work days after only one cold was definitely a plus. She worked as a chef and while others around her, mainly waiters, had to miss a lot of work every cold and flu season, Carly knew that after she gets over her annual cold she would be sneeze-free for about a year. In fact, even pepper didn't make her sneeze and since she didn't have any allergies she practically never sneezed unless she had that one cold. This particular function of her body came in handy one winter, when she was just a novice chef and worked at a catering. A vicious blizzard raged on for days and most of the people at the catering got sick. Just then, they received an order from an aspiring young actress named Isabel. She was an actress of Spanish origin who was quickly making a name for herself internationally and she wanted to throw a party to celebrate her meteoric success. Carly, who had a cold a couple of weeks before that, volunteered to lead the catering for that event, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get sick again. Not only did she do an amazing job, she got to make some interesting discoveries. It started when she talked to Harriet, an accountant who often helped Isabel with her taxes. The two of them talked about the blizzard and how lots of people were getting sick because of it.

"I'm not worried though" Harriet said calmly. "I've already had my annual cold".

"Your annual cold?" Carly asked, not even considering the fact that someone else's body might have a similar function to hers.

"People don't believe me when I tell them, but I only catch one cold per year" said Harriet. "It's usually a pretty bad one, but once I'm done with it I know"

"That you won't be sick for the rest of year" Carly's jaw dropped slightly.

"Yes, that's right" Harriet said, sounding a little surprised. "How did you know"?

"Because it's exactly the same for me" Carly replied. "I've always thought I was the only one who's like that".

"Oh no no" said Harriet. "It might be rare, but it happens. As a matter of fact, my younger sister, Rebecca, is the same way. She's a professional athlete, so it's very helpful to her career that she only gets sick once a year".

"I'd argue it's very helpful to just about any career" said Carly.

"That's exactly what I've been thinking" said Harriet. "Rebecca and I even made a deal a few years ago, that the first of us to catch a cold each year would tell the other and then we make plans to share that cold. That way, we both know we'll be cold-free for the rest of the year".

"Huh, that's actually a pretty good idea" said Carly.

"You wanna hear something truly amazing? Two years ago I found out that Isabel is also a member of the 'one cold per year' club" said Harriet.

"No way!" Carly exclaimed.

"Told you it's amazing" said Harriet. "And get this: Once we found that out, Isabel suggested we'd make a little club of our own. Since then, the four of us get together when one of us catches a cold. We pass is around, get over it together and then we go through a whole year without having to worry about getting sick again".

"Wait, you said 'the four of us'. Who's the fourth one?" Carly asked.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot to mention Trish, Isabel's personal assistant when she comes here" said Harriet. "Surprisingly, she shares this quality with Isabel, Rebecca and myself, and you apparently".

"Interesting" said Carly. "So what, you get together once a year to share a cold and be done with it"?

"Something like that" Harriet replied. "The thing is, since Isabela has some money and likes to live large, she found a way to make it almost fun. We spend our sick days in her amazing apartment, with everything a sick person could ever need. If one has to be sick for a few days, that would be the best way to do it".

"That does sound almost fun" said Carly. "So, what does a girl who also happens to get sick just once a year have to do if she wants to get into this little 'club' of yours"?

"Well, Isabel has been really impressed with the catering this evening" said Harriet. "I'm sure if I tell her that you're just like the four of us she'll be happy to invite you to this more private 'event' as well".

"In that case, you should tell her that I make an incredible chicken soup, if I may say so myself" Carly said and the two women laughed.

 

Months passed and Carly basically forgot about that conversation. Then came the following year, with its new cold and flu season. At the end of autumn, Carly got a phone call from Harriet, who told her that her sister, Rebecca, was coming down with a cold. Harriet asked if Carly was still interested to join their cold-sharing "event". Carly was a little hesitant at first, but eventually she accepted the offer. It turned out to be a very smart decision. Isabel had a luxurious apartment in a tower downtown. The five women stayed there for about a week. During that time, they all caught Rebecca's cold and managed to get over it with the help of one another.

"It was nice having you around" Trish told Carly at the end of that week, when Carly was about to go back home. Trish's nose was still a little pink, a reminder of the cold that resided inside it for the past couple of days. Isabel's sneeze was heard in the background, one of her last cold sneezes for that year. Carly turned to Trish with a warm smile.

"Then I guess we'll be seeing each other again sometime next year" she said.

 

"Hello Harriet" Carly said as she answered her phone about 10 months later. "I must admit I wasn't expecting a call from you yet. It's only the beginning of autumn".

"Cold season must've started early in Spain this year" said Harriet. "I just heard from Trish. Apparently, Isabel caught something during her last visit home. She's been sniffling throughout the flight here. Trish says she's been saving the best for us. Oh and she made sure to have all the ingredients for your famous chicken soup ready at the apartment, as well as many boxes of her favorite tissues".

"The soft ones with lotion" Carly remembered. "I'll clear my schedule for the week and meet you at the apartment as soon as I finish my shift".

"Rebecca and I will be doing the same" said Harriet.

 

"How is she?" Carly asked Trish when she entered the apartment.

"Heitsh, Hi Yeshoo!" two sneezes in quick succession were heard from the top floor of the apartment, answering Carly's question. Isabel's sneezes were strong and wet, yet very feminine.

"I can already feel her germs creeping into my nose" said Trish. "Whatever she has, it's not mild".

"Well, I guess if we only catch one cold a year it might as well be a big one" Carly shrugged.

"Not to mention all the perks we'll be getting from Isabel, on top of her cold" Rebecca said, emerging from the kitchen. "It's nice to see you again Carly".

"You too Rebecca" said Carly. "Where is your sister"?

"Settling in" Rebecca replied. "Our room is right next to Isabel's".

"Isn't that Trish's room?" Carly asked.

"We thought we'd mix it up a little this year" said Trish. "Harriet and Rebecca will be sleeping upstairs, you'll be in the same room you were last year and I'll be sleeping in the room next to yours".

"Alright, sounds like a plan" said Carly. "I'll go settle in my room and unpack. Then I'll visit the kitchen and make sure I have everything I need. I don't think I'll be cooking anything today though, I'm too tired from work".

"Don't worry about it. We've got plenty of food" said Rebecca.

"HeYa Tshoo!" Isabel let out an uncovered sneeze as she went down the stairs.

"Ai Dios" she said and sniffled. "I see the gadg is all here".

"Wouldn't miss is for the world. It's the social event of the year" Carly said and the four women laughed.

 

They spent the rest of the evening talking to each other in the living room. Isabel had many interesting stories to tell and she did so while letting out wet sneezes every now and then. As the evening turned into night, Carly noticed that Trish was beginning to sniffle more and more frequently. It was not surprising, since she was the one who spent the most time with Isabel since she got sick. The following morning, Trish was nursing a reddening nose of her own.

"Ha Ishoo!" she sneezed into a tissue.

"Salud Hetsh, Yishoo!" Isabel told her but then sneezed twice as well.

"Here, blow" Rebecca told Isabel as she brought a tissue closer to her nose. The actress liked to be pampered when she was sick as if she was a little girl. Since she was providing them the perfect conditions to have their annual sick days, the others didn't mind that at all and were happy to oblige.

"How does your dose feel with by cold idside it?" Isabel asked Trish.

"Sdotty" Trish replied and blew her nose.

"Hua TshuA!" just then, Harriet came down the stairs, sneezing loudly into her hands.

"Good bordig" she said as she sat down on the couch next to Isabel. "Your gerbs sure work fast" she told her.

"HeAtsh, Eitshoo, Ha TshiShoo!" a rapid triple was all that came out of Isabel's mouth.

Rebecca then gently massaged Isabel's nose with a tissue, producing wet squelching sounds.

"Whed you're dode doig that for our gederous hostess *sniffle* why dod't you cobe take care of your older sister?" Harriet asked before giving her own nose a honking blow.

"Don't worry, you'll get your turn" said Rebecca. "You have to promise you'll do the same for me though".

"Haved't I always? I've beed helpig you blow your dose ever sidce we were kids" said Harriet.

"That's true" said Rebecca. "You're a good sister. Always have been".

"Persodally *sniffle* I'b glad I dod't have ady siblidgs" said Trish. "I would dever wadt to help ady fabily bebber Hi Ishoo! blow their dose".

"You're lucky Rebecca has agreed to help be with that" said Isabel. "Otherwise *sniffle* I would've ask by assistadt to assist be with that".

"I Shoo! Ugh! *sniffle* I cad'y wait for by dose to be cold-free for the rest of the year" said Trish.

"Hue TshiA! Oops *sniffle*. Sorry Rebecca" said Harriet. Her sister was just about to help her blow her nose, only to have that nose sneeze directly into her face. "I guess your dose will be full of this cold sood".

"Then I guess I better get to work on that chicken soup" said Carly. "Looks like we'll all be needing it before too long" she got up and went to the kitchen.

 

"Ish, Ishoo, Hi Ishoo! Oh god *sniffle* bake it stop" Trish whined later that day. She was in the kitchen with a towel over her head, inhaling fumes from a bowl. It helped clear her congestion a bit, but also caused her to sneeze even more. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose wetly.

"Hue Tsha! How's that soup cobig alodg?" Harriet asked as she entered the kitchen.

"It's just about done" Carly replied. She was standing over the stove, stirring the soup in a big pot.

"That's good" Trish said and sniffled. "We would't wadt Isabel to be hudgry, dot to bedtiod the rest of us could sure use sobethig warb to eat".

"Haaaa Pchooooooooo!" Rebecca then entered the kitchen with a huge sneeze. "Guess who's gettig sick"?

"By little sister" Harriet gave Rebecca a loving pat on the shoulder. "Good thig Carly is just fidishig bakig soup for us all. Sit dowd. I'll get you a bowl whed it's ready".

"HiAtsh, Ye Tshoo, Hi A Tshioo! Could sobeode please get be sobe bedicide?" Isabel asked from the living room.

"I'll go" said Trish. "It's tibe I take sobe bedicide byself as well".

"Did she brig sobe of that abazing cold bedicide she had last year? The Spadish ode?" Harriet asked.

"She sure did Ha Ishoo, Ishoo!" Trish replied and sneezed.

"Thed please get sobe for us as well" said Harriet.

""Ha Ha Ha Haaaaa Pchooooooooo!" Rebecca sneezed.

"Hu E Tsha!" her sister echoed her.

 

By the following morning, Rebecca's large nose was bright red and she constantly had to blow it, often with Harriet's help. The two sisters were both loud blowers and loud sneezers.

"Hhh Ha Tishoo!" oh and Carly was getting sick too. She woke up that morning with a runny nose and the sneezes were quick to follow.

"HiAsh, He Itsh, Hei Tshoo! Do you wadt be to help you blow your dose Carly?" Isabel suggested.

"Do tahdks *sniffle* but it's dice of you to offer" said Carly.

"Why dot?" Rebecca asked. "It feels Ha Ha Haaaa Pchooooooooo! really good. Trust be".

"I'b sure it does *sniffle* but by dose is super sedsitive whed I'b sick" said Carly. "It's the odly tibe it's ever sedsitive *sniffle* but whed it is, it cad be set off eved by the slightest touch".

"Hie TshuA! You bead like this?" Harriet gently tapped Carly's nose.

"Ha ItsShoo, Tishoo, Ha Ti Shoo!" sneezed Carly. "What the hell did you do that for"?!

"Sorry *sniffle*. Could't resist" said Harriet.

"Hi Tshoo, Ithsoo! Great *sniffle* dow I wod't be able to Hi Tishoo! stop I Tshoo! sdeezig for Hi Itshoo, Itshoo, Tishoo, Ha I Tshoo! bidutes" said Carly. "I deed a... a..... A Tishoo! tissue".

"I'll get you ode" said Trish. "Do deed to say it twice though".

"Haa Tshoo! I did't say it twice *sniffle* that's just Ha Itshoo, ItshShoo, Ha Tishoo! how I sdeeze" Carly said, unable to control her irritated nose.

"Yeah, I kdow *sniffle* I was just Ha Ishoo! teasing you" Trish said while sneezing as well.

"If you're goig to get bore tissues *sniffle* you bight as well bridg a dew box for each of us HeYish, HetshTshishoo!" Isabel fanned her hand in front of her face, trying to coax out a third sneeze.

"Hi Yatshoo! Ai Dios bio!" she exclaimed when she finally got it out.

A few days and many many used tissues later, they all gradually got over their colds. When they went their separate ways, they agreed to meet again the following year. They felt great, being healthy again and knowing they won't have to deal with a cold for about a year. It was even worth being as sick as they were for the past few days, not to mention they had the perfect conditions to get better.

The End

[jke1995]

Very creative! Love that their shared quirk led to them forming a club of sorts. Great job!

[Likesn]

Senior Sniffles:

Chloe was very excited when she woke up that morning. Her university graduation was only a few days away, as well as her friends'. For the past three years, she's been sharing a little dorm-house with five other girls. They all became friends over time and even formed their own little sorority of sorts. Chloe felt lucky to spend that time with like-minded friends. With their graduation imminent, they decided that they'd all go out to a big party that night, which is why Chloe woke up so excited. She practically jumped out of bed and opened the window, revealing the sunny early June morning outside. Smiling, she took a deep breath of the warm summer air.

"Hea Chioo!" she sneezed wetly.

"The pollen count must be high today" she thought as she closed the window. "Better take my pills".

Having finished all of her exams and almost all of her academic chores, Chole had nothing to do that day except get ready for the party. She got dressed, took an allergy pill and sprayed some perfume on her neck. It was a new perfume that she had recently bought and she's been saving it for the party, but she thought it might be best to test it with her friends just in case. She noticed she was running low on allergy pills, so she decided to see if Liz had some. Liz was a top student, so she already finished all her academic chores and had her schedule free.

"Kdock kdock" Chloe said as she knocked on Liz's bedroom door, noticing her nose was congested.

"Cobe id" came an equally stuffy reply from inside. Chloe thought little of it, since she knew that Liz's allergies were even worse than hers, especially during the morning. That was the reason she was sure Liz would have more than enough allergy pills and would be willing to share some.

"It a beautiful day outside *sniffle* but by dose is really tickly add stuffy this bordig" Chloe said as she entered the dark room. "Please tell be you have sobe allergy pills to spare".

"High polled coudt?" Liz asked and sniffled. "Baybe that's why by head is so clogged up".

"Probably *sniffle* but we cad't let that stop us today" said Chloe. "So *sniffle* spare pills"?

"Check the top drawer id by dightstadd" said Liz.

"Foudd theb!" Chloe called. "You should probably take ode as well".

"He Tshoo! I thidk you're right" said Liz. "Hey *sniffle* is that a dew perfube you're wearig"?

"That's right" Chloe replied. "Do you like the sbell"?

"Actually *sniffle* it's really *sniffle* settig by dose off He E Tshoo, Tshoo, Tshoo, E Tshoo!" Liz said before sneezing four more times. "Cad you please go wash it off"?

"Fide, but you better dot still be id bed whed I'b dode" Chloe lifted the covers and gave Liz's feet a friendly tickle before leaving the room.

 

Even though Chloe washed off the perfume and despite the fact that both she and Liz had taken their allergy pills, the two of them continued to sneeze and sniffle throughout the morning. They were kinda used to it though, seeing as it was still allergy season. It was almost noon when Laurel and Alice returned to the house. The two of them had some chores they needed to hand over and after that they went shopping for the party.

"Hue Pshoo!" Laurel let out a booming sneeze when she walked in.

"Bless you" Chloe tole her. "I take it that Liz add I are dot the odly odes havig a bad allergy day"?

"I was fide udtil Alice had to go add pet every cat we passed by od cabpus" Laurel replied. "Why did she have to do that whed she kdows how Hu UpShoo! allergic I ab to cats"?

"He Ish! What you did yo be was worse" Alice walked in, sneezing into the crook of her arm. "You practically Ishe! shoved a rose right udder by He Ish, Ish, Ish, Hi Ishe! dose".

"That was just Hu Pshoo! payback for that cat thig" said Laurel.

"How very bature of you Laurel" said Liz. "Adyway *sniffle* Chloe's perfube had be sdeezig add sdifflig all bordig, so you two are dot the odly odes with does porblebs".

"Ha Haa Chioo!" sneezed Chloe. "Dot to bedtiod that fact that"

"The polled coudt is off the charts today" said the other three. "We kdow". It was Chloe's regular excuse for being sneezy, so naturally her friends knew it by heart.

 

The four of them had a quick lunch before they started getting ready for the party. Even with two of their friends missing, they got a lot of work done. About two hours later Ashleigh joined them. Her friends heard her even before she entered the house.

"Ha Ei Shoo, Hei Shoo, I Yeshoo!" Ashleigh entered the house with her face buried in a tissue.

"How did your fidal exab go?" Liz asked her.

"Pretty good actually *sniffle* udtil sobeode decided to bow the lawd right outside the widdow" Ashleigh replied. "It's so hot today so of course the widdow was oped Yey ShiShoo! I barely badaged to fidish the exab before I started Yi Shoo, Hei Shoo! sdeezig by head off".

"I dod't kdow if I He Chioo! would've beed able to do that" said Chloe. "Fidish the exab that is".

"A lot of people were heavig dose problebs today" said Ashleigh. "It seebed to be that about half the people id the exab hall were carryig tissue boxes. Bust be a really bad allergy day today or sobethig".

"He Tshoo, Tshoo, Tshoo, Tshoo! You cad say that agaid" said Liz.

"Hey, did you Ishe! get by text?" Alice asked Ashleigh.

"Yes Alice *sniffle* I bought the dail polish" Ashleigh replied. "Let be tell you *sniffle* it was dot ad easy thig to do with by dose Ha Yi Shoo, Ei Shoo! actig up the way it did".

"We've all had our doses actig up today Hu PshuShoo!" sneezed Laurel.

 

Sniffling and sneezing, the five girls started painting each other's nails. It was very hard to do with the smell of the nail polish bothering their already irritated noses. When they finished with their hands and started painting each other's toenails, the smell of feet was added to the list of irritants, making the job almost impossible. They constantly had to stop to either sneeze or blow their runny noses, which were all red by then. It was almost dark by the time they were done, but all five of them managed to put on their makeup, wear their nice dresses and high heels and generally be ready for the party. The only thing missing was the sixth member, Farrah.

"You girls would dot belive the day I've had" Farrah said when she finally walked into the house, looking exhausted. The other girls were so anxious to go that they didn't notice the congestion in her voice.

"Do tibe for that. We have to go" said Chloe.

"You cad tell us all about your day od the way to the party" said Liz.

"Party? Are you all delusiodal?! Look at yourselves!!" Farrah called. 

"What? We're all dressed up add ready to go add have fud" Laurel said and sniffled.

"Are you serious? Cad't you see that you're all sick?" Farrah asked.

"Sick? What are you talkig about? Our allergies have just beed really bad today, that's all" said Chloe.

"You'd kdow all about what it's like if you had ady allergies of your owd" Ashleigh added.

"Listed to be *sniffle*. The're a reasod I've stayed at the clidic so late" said Farrah. The clinic she was referring to was one that offered free basic health services for students. She volunteered there for extra credit.

"There's this really dasty virus goig aroudd cabpus" Farrah continued her explanation. "A bad cold or baybe subber flu. Ever heard of 'fresher's flu'? This is bore like 'sedior sdiffles' or sobethig. Bady sediors have beed gettig sick these past few days. Baybe it was stress about the exabs, baybe partyig too hard, probably both. The clidic was full of sick sediors today, sdeezig add coughig all over the place. I thidk I'b Ha Atshoo! gettig it too".

"But who says we're sick too? Baybe it's just bad allergies" said Laurel.

"I've beed livig with you girls for three years dow" said Farrah. "I kdow what it's like whed your allergies are bad. Trust be *sniffle* that's dot it. I'b sure you all kdew it all alodg *sniffle* at least od a subcodscious level. You're all just so excited for the party todight that dode of you wadted to adbit it, eved to herself".

"So *sniffle* assubig what you say is true, what do you suggest we do dow?" Ashleigh asked.

"Isd't it obvious? We cad't go to a party if we're He Ish, Ish, Ish, Ishe! sick" said Alice.

"She's right Ha Ha Haaa Tshoooooo!" sneezed Farrah.

"This is so sad" Chloe said and sniffled. "We've all beed lookig forward to that party".

"We put od Ye ShiShoo, Ei Shoo, Hi Yeshoo! our fide dresses" said Ashleigh.

"Dot to bedtiod all the tibe we spedt gettig out dails dode" said Laurel. "By dose is Hua Pshoooo! still dot over that whole experiedce".

"I kdow it sucks *sniffle* but at least you got to have a fud day together gettig ready for the party" said Farrah. "All I got today was a budch of people He Atshoooo! sdeezig their gerbs all over be".

"Hey, that gives be Tshoo, He Tshoo! ad Idea: Why dod't we all get Farrah all dice add pretty, eved if dode of us cad E Tshoo, Tshoo, Tshoo! bake it to the party?" Liz suggested.

"A Tshoooo! That actually soudds really dice" said Farrah. "Cad sobeode just Haaa Tshooooo! get be a tissue first? I really deed to blow by dose".

"We all do Hea Chiooooo! I'll go oped a dew box" said Chloe.

Farrah took her shoes and socks and finally allowed herself to relax after the long day she had. Her friends did her nails and then all six of them changed into comfortable clothes. They spent the next few days sneezing, blowing their noses and recovering together. Even though their original plans were ruined, they still felt fortunate to have such good friends to spend time with.

The End

Edited March 27 by Likesn