Stock Photo Inspired Ficlets

[Wig_Powder]

I very much enjoy participating in the Picture Prompt Fic Meme, but sometimes I come across pictures that I'd much rather write something for myself. So I decided to create a separate thread for those. Feel free to use this thread for yourselves if you're similarly inspired.

Naturally, I'll also be sharing the pictures that inspired the ficlets, though sometimes I'll put them before the story and sometimes I'll put them after, depending on if I want what happens in the story to be a surprise or not. Of course, you guys can still go and click on the picture whenever, but it's the principle of the thing.

And with that in mind: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/young-woman-dusting-ornaments-gm79338598-28403770

 

Joan stretched and smiled as she glanced out the window. It was shaping up to be a gorgeous day, with sunlight streaming in through the window and no trace of clouds in the sky. Spring finally seemed to have arrived, and even if there were still a few more cold snaps in the future, it was best to enjoy the milder weather in the here and now.

Getting out of bed, Joan headed to her closet and selected one of her light, floral dresses. Then she looked around the bedroom and made up her mind that, as befitted the season, she should spend the day doing some spring cleaning. She'd focus on the lighter tasks of dusting and polishing today, and then move on to washing and rug-beating later in the week if the weather permitted. With a plan in mind, Joan went through the rest of her morning routine, humming to herself.

After breakfast, she went to her closet and pulled down her feather duster, petting it affectionately. She had no idea where her mother-in-law had found the duster, but she loved it. Instead of the usual dull choices of black, white, grey, or brown, this particular duster was composed of feathers of multiple colors, adding a pop of color to her housework. It was such a simple thing, but it made cleaning just a little more enjoyable, and that alone made it a fine gift. The fact that it did its job well just put it over the top.

Turning her attention to the cleaning, she set her duster on the nearest surface and set to work, alternating between humming and looking out the window to admire the view. After a few minutes, she turned on the radio and began to clean in time with the music, singing along when she heard a song she recognized. If she wasn't out there enjoying the weather, she felt like this was the next best thing.

As she got to work dusting the end table nearest the door to the backyard, Joan felt a small itch in her nose. Glancing at her duster, she could see a buildup of grey forming on the feathers, and knew she'd need to shake it off soon. Wanting to at least finish the table, she rubbed her nose and went back to work. Now, however, she was more aware of the puffs of dust coming off the table and objects with each pass of her duster, and noticed each time that she lifted the duster and set it back down that it generated a small cloud of dust as well. And with every plume, the itch in her nose got a little stronger, despite her attempts to rub it away.

Just as she started to dust the pair of bird decorations that she and Paul had been given for a wedding present, her nose decided it had had enough. Breath catching sharply, Joan turned her head to the side. “Hit-SHI!”

Sniffing experimentally, she could tell the itch was still there, though at least it didn't seem like any more sneezes were immediately forthcoming. Still, she'd gotten the message. Giving the birds a quick pat, she opened the door and stepped outside. After getting a deep breath of fresh air and taking a second to enjoy the sun on her face, she lifted the duster and gave it several firm shakes. She was angled in such a way that she could see the dust flying into the air and dissipating, which was satisfying. Even if enough of it blew back her way that she succumbed to a small fit.

“Kip-TCHH! Itchh! Chh! Hah-KSHII!!”

Glancing at the duster, she could still see some dust clinging to it. Closing her eyes in preparation, she gave it three hard whacks against her other hand, which would definitely get the dust off but also meant quite a bit of it would end up in the air close to her face. Sure enough, the itch grew again after her final whack, and she braced herself.

“Ih...hihhh...hit-CHIEW!!!!”

Although the sneeze left her dazed, she couldn't see any grey on the duster when she opened her eyes, which at least meant she hadn't sneezed in vain. “Time for a break, I think.” she mused, stepping back into the house. First order of business; fetch a handkerchief.

 

 

[Wig_Powder]

“Damn it!” Monica said, leaning back in her seat. The road she was on may have been smooth and relatively straight, but she was still in a hilly area. The constant rises and falls, plus the generous speed limit, had caused her to burn through her gas tank quicker than expected. Now she was stuck on the side of the road, with no other cars in sight to assist her. Though unlike a flat tire or other mechanical problem, she wasn't sure how much help she'd be able to get even if there were other drivers nearby.

Monica sighed and glanced around her, hoping a solution would just...materialize (sure, she could and would call for roadside assistance, but that would entail having to sit in the car for God knows how long waiting for them, hoping her phone had enough battery power and internet service to keep her entertained). And in a way, one did; she spotted the sign for a gas station off in the distance. Pulling up Google Maps, she started making some calculations. The road she was currently on gradually curved, and would lead directly to that gas station in eight miles. If she could get there, she could either have them drive her back to the car with the gas to fill her tank, or she could borrow a canister, walk back to put some gas in the car, then drive back to the station to fill it up properly. It would be more efficient than waiting, even if she wasn't looking forward to the hike. Oh well, at least the weather was nice, and it was always good to get some exercise.

Grabbing her purse, Monica got out of the car, locking it manually. As she slung the strap over her shoulder, something caught her attention. While there was a barrier separating the road from a drop-off, the slope was actually pretty gentle, and looked climbable. If she climbed over it and walked in a straight line instead of following the road, she could probably cut the travel time in half. It was riskier, and based on the tall grass she could see, she'd probably want to buy some bug spray at the gas station to make sure she didn't get any creepy-crawlies on her, but the benefits outweighed the risks in her mind. Nodding decisively, she put her hands on the railing and stepped over it.

She moved sideways down the slope, doing her best not to fall, but as she neared the bottom, her foot knocked against a rock, and she stumbled, throwing out her hands to catch herself and bracing for impact, already closing her eyes to wince in advance. Fortunately, she was close enough to the base of the...valley?...that she didn't end up sliding or rolling. All that happened was that she landed in the grass, her wrists stinging as they took on a lot of her weight. But they didn't feel sprained or worse, and while she was probably dirty and looked ridiculous, it could have been way worse. Exhaling slowly to calm herself down, she took a few moments to compose herself.

Then she felt something brush against her face, something softer than the grass against her arms. At the same moment, she felt a large itch growing inside her nose, and even though she couldn't smell anything particularly floral, she already knew what was going on. She'd vaguely noticed clumps of white dotted around the grass, but hadn't paid too much attention to them in her drive to get to the gas station. Now, however, she knew they had to be flowers—daisies, judging by the lack of scent—and even if she was diligent at taking her allergy meds, literally planting her face in them almost guaranteed she'd have a reaction.

Monica didn't even bother to open her eyes, knowing they'd be closed again in short order. Instead, she pulled back and started trying to push herself up, hoping to at least get away from the flowers before the inevitable. “Ah...ahh...” There was a brief pause, and then her head snapped forward. “Ashh! Heshhh! Ektshhh!!”

The itch backed down a little, enough that she could open her eyes and get to her feet. As she did so, she glanced at the flowers, confirming that a) they were daisies, and b) she'd most likely sneezed directly onto them. Serves them right, she thought, dusting herself off. Now that she'd gotten some distance from them, the itch wasn't as strong, but she could tell she'd be sneezing sporadically for a little while longer. In fact...“Et-chh!”

Monica sniffed, rubbing at her nose, and resumed her walk. This wasn't going to be fun, but if that was the worst that happened to her, she'd take it. And besides, maybe seeing a disheveled, sneezing woman enter their store would make the guys at the gas station more willing to give her a ride back to her car...

 

Picture inspiration: https://image.shutterstock.com/z/stock-photo-hay-fever-allergies-young-woman-with-pollen-sickness-sneezing-smelling-a-fresh-bouquet-of-463945805.jpg

[Wig_Powder]

Picture inspiration: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-holding-finger-under-nose-because-351805382

 

Sadie had been honored when Isaac had invited her over to get a sneak peek at the paintings he was going to be displaying at the library for their monthly “Celebrating Local Artists” event. He said it was the least he could do after she'd spent a whole day striking various poses for him to take photographic references, and Sadie was grateful for the privilege to see the paintings before Isaac had put on the finishing touches and set them up in the appropriate frames.

In their excitement, however, the two of them had forgotten about some of Sadie's little quirks. For one, her nose was rather sensitive to strong smells, which was why she'd only posed for photographs rather than being Isaac's model in his studio. For another, she had loud, powerful sneezes that always generated a cloud of spray. And for a third, she'd become pretty much paralyzed the moment a sneeze began. If it was just a tickle, she could move away from people (or the allergen) or at least grab some tissues. But as soon as the tickle morphed into a sneeze, it was like her body was locked in place, all her brainpower dedicated to getting the itch out of her nose.

So when Sadie stepped into Isaac's studio, she only got a moment to admire the fourteen canvases scattered about the room when the smells of paint, oil, polish, and solvents hit her all at once. Her eyes watered, her nose twitched, and she just managed to bring her hand up to her face and jam a finger under her nose before her body froze up. “Ah...ahh...”

Isaac, who had been standing behind her to allow her a moment to drink it all in, realized what was happening immediately. “Oh no...” he said, darting into the room and opening the window to try to air the room out a bit, “Hold it back, Sadie! I'll try to get you out of here!”

Sadie was able to press her finger a little firmly under her nose, but based on how much it was twitching, she knew she didn't have much time. “Ah-hahhh...”

Isaac came back to her side, taking her other arm and trying to pull her out of the room. But as much as Sadie wanted to be led away, her legs refused to budge, no matter how much Isaac pulled or shoved. “Hah...hahh...”

Her eyes were closed by this point, so she had no idea what Isaac was doing. All she knew for certain was that he abruptly stopped trying to move her, and that she was seconds away from sneezing. “HAAAHHH...”

Then, suddenly, a hand was on the back of her head, forcing it downwards. Moments later, a forceful “HATSHHIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!!!” exploded from her nose. She winced, hoping that she hadn't done too much damage, but also aware that there was still an itch in her nose. In the few moments before her breath started hitching again, Isaac grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. Trusting that he'd gotten her out of the line of fire, Sadie let herself sneeze until the prickling in her nose was gone. “Uh...ahh...AAHH-TCHOO!! Heh-AH-TSHU!! Ah-CHUUHH!”

Once it looked like the sneezing had subsided, Sadie opened her eyes, prepared to apologize to Isaac. But her words died away when she saw what was in front of her. Isaac had taken one of his blank canvases and held it close to her face as a sort of tissue, ensuring the spray from her sneezes hit it and not any of his actual paintings. “Good thinking,” she said hoarsely, rubbing at her nose, “Though I'm sorry I ruined the canvas. I'll pay for a new one, if you want.”

“Don't worry about it,” Isaac said, guiding her to the kitchen so she could grab a drink and some tissues, “It's my own fault for being so eager to show off that I forgot about your sensitivity. Besides, I think I may have an idea...”

(When the show debuted two evenings later, there were fifteen paintings on display. Five were still lifes of various objects, nine were of people...and one was a dandelion that looked like it was in the process of being blown apart, its white seeds turning into a riot of colors as they flew away from the stem. The title of the piece was “Sneezing the Seeds of Inspiration.” It made Sadie blush to see it, but she still couldn't help but be impressed by Isaac's creativity.)