12 Days of Sneeze (Superstitions)

[Wig_Powder]

This is an early-ish Christmas present for tarotgal; from now through Christmas, I'll be posting one small ficlet every day, based around a sneeze superstition from somewhere in the world. At the end of the fic, I'll include the superstition in italics, allowing you a chance to guess where it came from. Today, however, I'll give you a hint; this ficlet is based on a superstition that I'm pretty sure a lot of us are aware of...

***

ONE

“I hear that Yoshiko got a promotion at work.”

“Yes, she did, and I’m happy for her; she definitely deserves it.”

“I just hope she’ll be as lucky in her personal life.”

“You still think her roommate’s up to no good?”

“That’s going a little too far...but I do think that Manami is jealous of Yoshiko’s success, and will end up being a difficult roommate in response. Leaving a mess, making catty comments, that sort of thing.”

“Let’s just hope that she leaves it at that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well...Manami’s a very beautiful woman. And when we all got together and Yoshiko was introducing her to everyone, I saw Nobu looking at Manami far more than Yoshiko.”

“You don’t think he’s going to try to cheat on her, do you?”

“...It’s a possibility. He’s been with Yoshiko for over a year, but he was quite the womanizer in university. I wouldn’t put it past him, especially if Yoshiko ends up spending more time at work because of her promotion.”

“I don’t know. Manami does seem petty at times, but I don’t think she’d go that far to spite Yoshiko. But I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Across town, in Yoshiko’s apartment, Yoshiko abruptly set down her cup of tea. “Hold on...hah...hat-shu!”

“Bless you,” Manami said, “Are you a...ahh...” she pressed the back of her hand to her nose and stifled two sneezes. “Achnxt! Ipxxt!”

“Bless you!” Nobu said, only for his own breath to start hitching seconds later. “Eh...hehh...Het-kshh! Hep-tshh! Heh-SHH!!”

“And bless you too,” Yoshiko said, laughing and passing over a tissue box, “I guess that’s a sign that I’ve let too much dust accumulate. You and I should probably set aside some time to clean the house over the weekend, Manami.”

“Maybe,” Manami said unenthusiastically, “Or maybe there’s truth in that old superstition.”

“I doubt it,” Nobu said, offering her the tissue box with a flourish, “What could possibly be so interesting about us that was worth discussing?”

From Japan and other Asian countries: When you sneeze, someone is talking about you (one sneeze=compliment, two sneezes=not so complimentary, three sneezes=really, really bad gossip)

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Wig_Powder

[groundcontrol]

I love you, Wig! You always have the most creative ideas for fics. Looking forward to 11 more days of this!!!

[Wig_Powder]

@groundcontrol Aw, thank you! I love coming up with ideas for fic (sneeze related or otherwise) and I'm glad others appreciate them!

 

TWO

Ahmose was on his way to the poultry stall when he spotted a familiar face approaching. “Well met, Meresankh,” he said, smiling at her, “How are things with you?”

“Very well, thank you,” Meresankh said, as they moved to an out of the way corner to talk, “In fact, if the Gods decree it, they will soon become even better.”

“Oh? How so?”

“My youngest son, Paphnoutios, has been training to become a scribe. He was always a bright boy, and his teachers have noticed both his intelligence and his devotion to his studies. The Pharaoh has recently put forward a call for new scribes, and Paphnoutios is one of the candidates. Tomorrow, we head for Thebes, where he and the other potential scribes will be tested. From what I hear, a dozen men will be competing, though only three will get the position. I’m in the process of buying offerings for Thoth, Ra, and any other god that I believe could assist Paphnoutios in being one of them.”

Ahmose nodded. “You’ve raised him well, teaching him all the proper virtues. Between that, your offerings, and Paphnoutios’ talents, I’m sure he’ll be one of the ones selected.”

Just then, the wind shifted, carrying with it the sharp scents from a nearby spice stall. Ahmose’s nose wrinkled, and a moment later, he snapped forward with a sneeze. “Uh-pishoo!”

Meresankh gasped, and when he raised his head, he saw her clasping her hands, eyes sparkling with delight. “The Gods have confirmed your words!” she declared, “Excuse me, I had better complete my shopping and visit the temples right away, in order to keep my promise and ensure their continued favor.”

Giving him a nod, she returned to the main thoroughfare, moving as fast as her basket and the crowd allowed. Ahmose rubbed his nose and resumed his own walk, silently wishing her all the best.

(Two weeks later, he ran into Meresankh again, whereupon she told him that Paphnoutios had indeed been selected, and she and her family would be permanently moving to Thebes, thanks to Pharaoh's generosity. In addition to being glad for her, Ahmose felt a bit of personal satisfaction as well; after all, it wasn’t every day that a god chose you to be their messenger, even if it was sent in an unorthodox way.)

From Ancient Egypt (among others): A sneeze is a sign from the Gods.

[Wig_Powder]

THREE

“Heshew! Itshew! Kepishh!”

“Bless you.”

Aneta groaned and flopped down onto the sofa. “I knew it. Your mother’s probably having tea with one of her equally judgmental friends, telling her all about her visit yesterday and cataloging every little thing that wasn’t up to her standards.”

Zbigniew affectionately shook his head as he sat down next to her. “I know she’s having trouble warming up to you, but I thought things went well yesterday. I don’t see what she’d have to complain about.”

“Plenty, ah...apparently...Aktishew! Eskshhh!!”

“Bless you,” Zbigniew squeezed her leg sympathetically, “Assuming you’re right, and all that sneezing isn’t because of the lingering scent of cleaning solvents, I’ll meet her for lunch in a few days and talk to her.”

“You’ve tried doing that before. Why should thiiishh!!...this be any different?”

“Bless you. I doubt I’ll break through to her, but it will reinforce that you’re the woman I love and plan to spend the rest of my life with, and she has to accept that. Meanwhile, keep being pleasant to her, and gradually, I’m sure she’ll come around.”

“You’re probably right. But I feel like I’m going to be constantly reaching for the tissues after every visit with her for at least the next six months.” As if to prove her point, Aneta sneezed again. “Heh-TISHH!!”

“Bless you,” Zbigniew said, putting an arm around her and kissing her temple, “Just hang in there. I’ll run interference as much as I can, even trying to take on blame for things so she won’t always say you’re at fault. And after we part ways from her...” he grinned and lightly tapped her nose, “I’ll make sure to have tissues and a sympathetic ear handy.”

Even as she geared up for yet another sneeze, Aneta couldn’t help smiling back. She knew there was a reason she’d fallen in love with him.

From Poland: A sneeze means your mother-in-law is badmouthing you.

 

[Wig_Powder]

FOUR

Darshan sat down at his desk, waiting for his computer to finish booting up. He had a lot of numbers to crunch today, which is why he’d come into work an hour early. Granted, his body was less than thrilled with getting up while it was still dark out, but that was why he’d asked for a stronger blend of coffee when he'd visited their office café. With any luck, the caffeine would perk him up, and he’d be able to lose himself in his work once he had all his files in order.

With that in mind, he took the lid off his cup, sniffing the drink experimentally as he watched the computer complete its wake-up security scan. While the smell confirmed that Madhu had added his usual vanilla creamer, the strong scent of the beans, combined with the rising tendrils of steam, tickled his nose, and he had to quickly set the cup down to avoid spilling the drink. “Hek-TISHH!!”

After the sneeze, Darshan grabbed a tissue from the box on his desk, giving his nose a quick blow. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the computer had completed the scan and was ready to go. In the back of his mind, he remembered an old superstition about sneezing and work, but quickly pushed the thought aside—he had too much work to do to worry about an old wives tale. Disposing of the tissue, he started opening his files, though he did decide to let the coffee cool for another minute or two before he started drinking it. It was probably safer all around that way.

Forty-five minutes later, Darshan had just gotten into “the zone” when his computer abruptly shut off. Based on the sounds coming from the surrounding cubicles, he wasn’t the only one. A quick check revealed most of the electricity had gone out, and a few minutes after that, Hasib was able to tell them why. There was a construction project going on nearby, and they’d accidentally cut a power line. From what he could tell, the crew had immediately set to work fixing it, but there was no telling how long it would take before the power came back. Hearing this, Mr. Mitul announced that anyone who wished to go home could do so, though anyone who could work from home was heavily encouraged to try to get at least some work done. Unfortunately, since Darshan worked with sensitive information, he didn’t have that luxury, so instead, he elected to stay in the office and wait to see if the crew could get the power back online. In the meantime, he’d see what else he could do to be useful around the office.

As it turned out, the power did come back on…three hours later. Fortunately, the computer had saved his work automatically six minutes before the shutdown, so Darshan hadn’t lost that much progress. On the other hand, there was no way he was going to get everything done by the end of the day. He’d still make his deadline, but if he wanted to be on the safe side, he’d have to stay late tonight, and the company wasn’t exactly generous when it came to overtime pay. Sighing, Darshan got to work, vowing that he’d try to be as efficient as possible…and that if he had to sneeze again, he’d take a five minute break. Just in case.

From India: Sneezing before starting work means you will be interrupted in a bad way.

[Wig_Powder]

FIVE

“You look gorgeous, Lucia!” Monica said, slipping the last bobby pin into Lucia’s hair, “I bet Benigo will be so enraptured that he’ll almost forget to put on the ring!”

Lucia managed to smile, but she could still feel herself shaking with nerves. Seeing this, Monica gently squeezed her shoulder. “Take deep breaths. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“I know,” Lucia said, “And I’m more happy nervous than scared nervous. But…this is a big moment. And even though I love Benigo, I have no idea what the future will hold. It’s a little intimidating to think about.”

At that moment, Trilly, who had been observing proceedings from the armchair, looked up from washing her paw and let out three tiny sneezes. Vera pointed in her direction. “Worry no more, Lucia. I read somewhere that if you hear a cat sneeze on your wedding day, then your marriage will be happy.”

While Lucia wasn’t sure how much stock she put in superstition, the declaration did make her feel a little better, and that, combined with the various compliments from her family as they saw her in her dress, was enough to allow her to hold her head high and give a genuine smile as she made her way to the ceremony.

The ceremony proceeded without incident, but during the reception, the picturesque clouds and breezes turned into a light but persistent rain. And while it didn’t ruin the reception, it did cause one, or rather two, unfortunate aftereffects.

“Eh…tchoo!” Lucia sneezed, before groaning and burrowing herself deeper into the covers.

“Salute,” Benigo said, handing her a tissue box and setting another one on his bedside table before joining her in bed, “I hope these two will be enou…USHHH!!”

“Salute,” Lucia repeated, blowing her nose before snuggling up to him, “So much for our honeymoon plans.”

Benigo wrapped an arm around her. “Well, we may not be able to see the sights…but we’ll have plenty of time to talk and figure out how we want to move forward in our married life. And since we’re both sick, we can kiss each other without guilt.” Lucia certainly wasn’t going to complain about that idea, and immediately leaned in to do just that.

A minute later, a ringing phone interrupted their kissing. Since the phone was on Benigo’s end table, he was the one to answer it. Lucia took that opportunity to get some more water, and when she got back from the bathroom, she saw Benigo shaking his head and chuckling. “What is it?” she asked.

“That was Gian,” he said, “He wanted to see if we escaped the “reception curse”. It turns out the entire wedding party’s currently sick and sneezing. Hard to believe one little rainstorm can do all that.”

Lucia laughed and climbed back into bed, resuming their snuggling. “Well, it’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow at least some good. And while the storm made us all ill, at least it’s also brought everyone closer together.”

“Especially you and me.” Benigo said, wrapping her in his arms as he gave her yet another kiss.

From Italy: A bride hearing a cat sneeze on her wedding day will have a happy marriage...but a cat sneezing three times means the whole family is going to get a cold.

[Wig_Powder]

SIX

One late autumn day, the people of Feothan gathered together on the hillside overlooking their town for a special ritual. It had been a rough few months; hail, insects, and a hot summer had damaged their crops, and while they’d harvested enough to get through the winter, there was some concern that winter would bring further hardships. To that end, the town decided to hold a ritual to appease the gods, with the heads of the two chief religious sects working together to perform the ceremony.

As the townsfolk watched anxiously, Galchobhar laid out the sacrificial food, while Suibhne spoke invocations, praising each god and asking for their kindness in the months to come. Then, when all was in place, they switched positions, Galchobhar making the final prayer while Suibhne lit the fire that would consume the offerings and send them to the heavens. After that, the two men stepped aside to opposite ends of the altar, watching the items burn and looking for some sign that their prayers had been heard.

As the items blackened and began to crumble, a large gust of wind blew down from the north, sending the smoke and the scents of the various foods back towards the assembled group. It stung their eyes and made them all cough, but Galchobhar and Suibhne had a very different reaction. In addition to the smoke and scents, a few flecks of ash were blown into their faces, which both men accidentally inhaled. And a minute later, just as the rest of the crowd was composing itself, both men snapped forwards, sneezing sharply.

“Huh-KSHHHTT!!”

“Ekstchh!”

While the townsfolk murmured blessings, Galchobhar and Suibhne straightened up, rubbing their noses. They glanced at each other, then at the altar, then smiled and nodded. “We have nothing to fear,” Galchobhar declared to the crowd, “The Gods have been satisfied by our offering. By causing the two of us to sneeze, they have signaled that Feothan will have good health this winter. We may have to face other hardships, but illness will not be one of them.” Immensely relieved, everyone returned to town, leaving the two priests to cleanse the ritual circle.

The gods kept their word; despite at least three heavy snowfalls and biting winds, not a single person fell ill that winter. And despite the mediocre harvest, no one went hungry. When spring came around again, the townsfolk held another ritual before they began planting, each person donating a little of their remaining winter stores to the altar to thank the Gods for their kindness. Galchobhar and Suibhne once again shared the duties of the ceremony, and while they did not sneeze this time, the wind caused the smoke to form the shape of a blooming flower, which, the crowd was assured, meant that they would have a good harvest this year. With that blessing upon them, the group happily descended from the hill, raising their voices in song as they prepared to plant. This year, it seemed, would be far better than the one before.

From an unknown source: Two people sneezing at the same time means the Gods are happy and will be granting good health.

[Wig_Powder]

SEVEN

Danica was in the process of taking down her skirt for the day when she sneezed a sharp “Et-SHIEW!”, causing the skirt to slip from the hanger and fall to the floor. Grumbling, she bent down to retrieve it. She never enjoyed getting up in the morning, but today was particularly bad. The time had yet to “fall back”, so it was still dark when she woke up, and based on how cold the room felt when she got out of bed, it was going to be another grey, miserable day. Maybe it would even end up raining again, making her commute even less fun than usual.

Sighing heavily, Danica tried to get dressed as fast as possible so she could head to the kitchen and make herself some coffee and toast so she could warm up and fortify herself for the car, train, and bus rides ahead. But as she was pulling on her stockings, her nose tickled sharply, and she sneezed again, her head snapping forward with the force of it. “Hik-TISHHEEW!”

When her eyes opened again, she saw that the sneeze had also caused her to catch her nail on the nylon, causing a run in the stocking. Cursing, she stood up to grab another one, tossing the ruined one in the garbage can as she did so. She always made sure to budget some extra time in the mornings, but she hated minor delays like this, especially if they came from her own carelessness.

Once her stockings, skirt, and shoes were in place, Danica got to work on buttoning up her shirt. Just as she was doing up the ones over her clavicle, she sneezed yet again—“Up-KISSSHHHHEEEWW!!”—and felt one of her buttons come undone, though given her current luck, it had probably popped off the shirt. She could also feel her nose starting to run, and when she sniffed to keep the mess relatively contained while she went for a tissue, she noticed that it felt a little more painful than it normally did. And now that she was thinking about it, maybe that lingering dryness in her throat wasn't just due to being thirsty...

After blowing her nose, Danica made a beeline to the bathroom, where she retrieved a thermometer. Two minutes later, she was dialing her workplace. “Hello, Susan? I won't be coming into work today, and I don't know if I'll be coming in tomorrow, either. It looks like I'm coming down with a c...Kip-SHEEWW!”

“Bless you,” Susan said sympathetically, “Given your attendance record, I would have believed you anyway, but that clinched it. Feel better soon.”

“Thanks,” Danica said with a sniff, “See you in a day or two, then.”

After she hung up, Danica grabbed an extra blanket, a fresh box of tissues, and two water bottles, then returned to her bedroom. Changing back into her pajamas, she climbed back under the covers, which had gotten cold during her aborted morning routine. But she didn't really care; they'd warm up again eventually, and given that it was only now just starting to get light, there was a good chance she'd fall asleep quickly, meaning she wouldn't have to put up with it for too long. She sighed and snuggled down into the bed, closing her eyes. As unfun as the next week of coughing and sneezing was going to be, at least she'd get to sleep in for a few days. Maybe she'd even be able to wake up when it was actually light out.

From an unknown source: Sneezing while getting dressed in the morning means bad luck.
 

[Wig_Powder]

EIGHT

“No way,” Ctirad said with a laugh, “Nobody's that stupid.”

“Ludmila and I saw it with our own eyes,” Dalimil said, before glancing over at his girlfriend, “Back me up, would you, Lída?”

Ludmila grinned and nodded. “It's true. Jarmil was convinced that he could treat the tree branch like a gymnast's bar. He reasoned that if he got a running start, he could grab onto it, then use the momentum to carry him into a spin. Even tipsy, we knew it was a bad idea, and tried to talk him out of it. He just took it as a challenge, and bet us 500 Koruna each that he could do it. Finally, we gave up and hoped for the best.”

“And what happened? I find it hard to believe he actually completed a spin. Did the branch break from his weight? Or did he get halfway over and then slam into the branch?”

“Neither,” Dalimil said, “He made the running jump, managed to grab onto the branch, and kicked his legs forward. But he was either too heavy or he lost his grip, because the next thing we knew, he was sailing forward, across the lawn, before landing in a heap near the fence. I'm not sure if he ended up colliding with it or not; it was getting dark, and I was too stunned to register if there was a loud thunk or not.”

“Was he ok?”

“He ended up with some bruises, but mostly he was fine. In this case, being drunk was apparently a blessing.”

Ctirad shook his head. “I'm still not sure I believe it. Jarmil likes to show off, but even drunk, I can't imagine he'd be willing to take that risk.”

Dalimil just smirked and raised his glass. “Where do you think I got the money to pay for this round of drinks?” he asked.

As he spoke, Ludmila, who was in the middle of drinking, abruptly set down her glass (briefly revealing a spot of white foam on her nose) and buried her face in the crook of her arm. “Hepciii!”

“Je to pravda,” Dalimil said, before looking triumphantly at Ctirad. “You see? Now you know we're telling the truth!”

Ctirad laughed and took a sip of his own drink. “Who am I to argue with that? Still, next time I see Jarmil, I'll ask him about it. I'd like to see if he's willing to admit it or not. And if he is, maybe he'll be able to explain what, if anything, made him think that was a good idea.”

From the Czech Republic: If someone sneezes during a conversation, then what was just said is a true fact.

[Wig_Powder]

You have no idea how tempted I was to turn this particular snippet into a fanfic, but I felt that I should keep them all as original. However, if you want to mentally replace the names of these characters with certain other figures, go right ahead.
 

NINE

“Is everything secured, Mr. Eder?” Captain Hadrill called from the quarterdeck.

“Aye, sir!”

“Then cast off, and let's get underway!”

Immediately, the crewmen got to work raising the anchor and loosening the sails. As soon as his section of deck was secured, Kip ran over to the right (starboard, he corrected himself internally) side of the ship to wave goodbye to the crowd gathered by the dock. In other circumstances, he'd have happily gone to help out the others, but this would be his first long-term fishing excursion, and he wanted to have one last glimpse of home, not to mention letting his family get to see him as a real sailor, standing on deck instead of just showing off his uniform. Since he was far from the only one doing so, he didn't feel too bad about it.

As the sails of the ship began to swell, the wind also carried with it the scent of the tides, which mostly consisted of salt and decay this close to land. Nevertheless, Kip took a deep breath, enjoying the fact that he could enjoy the sea air from a different perspective. Unfortunately, the breath also caused him to inhale a bit of sea spray, and that, combined with the smell, was enough to tickle his nose. Happily, he'd removed his handkerchief to wave at his parents, so it was just a matter of bringing it down to his face. “Hashoo!! Hehshhhtt!!”

Someone lightly nudged his side. “Bless you,” said Nicholas, the Master's Mate, “And thank you.”

“For what?” Kip asked, confused.

He turned just in time to see Nicholas grin at him, eyes twinkling. “I'm sure you've heard about all the little beliefs and rituals we sailors have. Well, one of them is that if one of us sneezes on the starboard side of the ship as we're casting off, then the ship is destined to have a successful voyage.”

Kip chuckled. “Well, I hope you're right. Anything that helps make my first time out at sea a success is all to the good.”

The Marmot ended up spending two months at sea. In that time, Kip got seasick, sunburned, and repeatedly bruised, but he loved almost every minute of it. More importantly, he not only proved he could pull his weight, but he learned plenty of tricks to ensure that his second voyage (and Captain Hadrill had assured him that he would be welcome back for a second voyage) would go even more smoothly than the first. By the time the coast of New England came back into view, the Marmot was loaded down with fish, with more than enough for their town to eat and a surplus to sell, besides. Kip was immensely proud of himself, and his family was, too.

That autumn, Kip rejoined the Marmot's crew, eager to see how fishing late in the year differed from the spring and summer months. This time, he didn't feel as strong a need to go to the railing and wave goodbye, but after catching Nicholas' eye, he did make sure to stay close to the starboard side of the ship, just on the off chance his nose ended up tickling again. He wasn't entirely sure if he wholly believed in what Nicholas had told him four months ago, but keeping it under advisement certainly couldn't hurt.

From an unknown source: A sailor sneezing on the Starboard (right) side of the ship as the ship is leaving means the voyage will be successful...

[Wig_Powder]

As the ellipsis at the end of yesterday's post suggested, this is a continuation of the superstition, albeit with different characters. My comment yesterday on being tempted to turn this into a fanfic, naturally, still stands.

TEN

“Ah...At-KIRSHHH!!”

“Now you've done it,” John said, “Couldn't you have waited until we were on the open ocean to do that?”

“It's not my fault I have hayfever,” Jared pointed out irritably, securing the line before digging out his handkerchief, “In fact, that's part of the reason I went to sea in the first place. And can I help it if Lieutenant White assigned me to tie down the supplies, which happen to be stored on the port side of the ship?”

“True,” John conceded with a slight smile, “And you were constantly rubbing at your nose when you weren't handling the supplies or ropes, showing you were at least trying to keep the sneezes at bay. If we run into a storm, though, I'm still going to blame you.”

“That's fair,” Jared said, “Now come on, we'd better hurry. I'm sure White will be down to inspect our work any minute.”

Ten days later, the Cerberus was caught in the middle of a particularly foul gale. Through dedicated effort, the ship managed to pass through it with only minimal damage to the sails and decks. But the wind, rain, and tense hours did end up taking a toll in a slightly different way...

“I'm almost impressed,” John rasped, before taking a sip from his cup of tea, “One sneeze from you has managed to get over a quarter of the crew sick all at once.”

“Oh, shut up,” Jared said, sniffing thickly, “I'll accept the blame for the storm, but most of us have spent at least five years at sea. We should be strong enough to get through a heavy rain without coming down wi...ISHHHHHKKKK!!”

“Bless you,” John sighed, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't take it out on you, and I certainly won't openly say you're responsible to anyone else. But until this cold clears up, you're the easiest target for my ire. So in exchange, I'll be the one who gets us our food and drink until we've recovered, so you know there aren't really any hard feelings. Maybe I'll even be willing to wash all our handkerchiefs when our supplies inevitably start to run low. Does that seem fa...eh...ehh...Etchh! Heh-SHH!! HET-SHHFFFF!!!”

“Bless you,” Jared said, smiling slightly as he lowered his handkerchief, “And yes, that's fair. On my end, next time we leave a port during the spring, I'll do my best to find reasons to be on the starboard side of the ship for when my hayfever inevitably makes me sneeze.”

“Good,” John said, burrowing himself down into his hammock, “We'll shake on it as soon as I feel strong enough to get out of bed.”

From the same unknown source as yesterday: ...But a sneeze on the Port (left) side of the ship means bad weather is ahead.

[Wig_Powder]

ELEVEN

Drita shivered, pulling her jacket around her a little tighter. While there was a cold breeze blowing through, signifying that they were now firmly into autumn, part of her wondered if the sudden chill she felt was due to where she was. Even though she'd come to this graveyard to gather the names of her ancestors and had even left flowers to pay her respects, the setting sun and the wind whistling through the graves gave her a sense of foreboding, like she was trespassing in a forbidden realm. With that in mind, she quickened her pace, hoping to reach the front gates as soon as possible.

Another gust of wind blew through the area, causing her nose to run. As she sniffed to try to contain the leak, the breeze carried the scent of decaying grass and flowers to her, and that, combined with the chill, was enough to make her sneeze. “Ekshuu!”

There was another harsh gust of air, but this time, it came from behind her. Moments later, she heard a male voice say “What in...where am I? Oh, mallkoj, just my luck.”

Confused, Drita turned around, only to scream in shock. There was a translucent man hovering several inches off the ground, with no visible legs. Even though the ghost had an annoyed look on his face, he quickly waved his hands at her. “Quiet, quiet! The last thing we need is to cause a scene.”

“Are you...going to hurt me?” Drita asked fearfully.

“No,” the man said, “I'm not about to hurt the person who can send me back to the afterlife. Even if you are the same person who pulled me out in the first place.”

“I'm...sorry about that,” Drita said, “But how did I...?”

“You sneezed near my grave,” the man explained, gesturing towards the nearest headstone, “That's bad luck. Most of the time, it just manifests in minor misfortune for a few days, but every so often, when the fates are feeling mischievous, they decide to torment the living and the dead and send the person buried in the grave to 'haunt' whoever sneezed. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to undo, but we'll need to perform a small ritual to return me to the spirit world. It should only take an hour or two, and then I can return to the ether.”

“All right,” Drita said, her fear being replaced by curiosity, “Come on, my car's this way. But as long as we're going to be stuck together, we might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Drita.”

“Afrim.” the man said, floating after her.

Drita paused, glancing back at the grave. She'd gotten turned around a bit while wandering around the cemetery, but she was pretty sure that this was the general area where her great-great-uncle Afrim was buried. She'd have to look through her photographs to confirm it, but if this was a relative of hers...maybe he'd be willing to give her a bit of family history before they went their separate ways.

From an unknown source: Sneezing near a grave means bad luck.

[Wig_Powder]

TWELVE

As Heli dropped the half teaspoon of allspice into her spice rub, the action caused a small cloud of the mixture to rise into the air. Second later, her nose started itching, and both she and Kaja stepped away from the countertop and turned away so as not to sneeze on the food.

“Atssihh!”

“Aptihsihhh!”

The two women blessed each other, Heli moving to get tissues for herself and her guest. As they went to the sink to dispose of the tissues and wash their hands before resuming cooking, they glanced at each other and smiled. “Well, I guess it's been decided,” Kaja said, glancing down at her stomach, which was only just starting to show, “We'll both be having daughters.”

Heli laughed. “I think that's an old wives tale. But if it does happen, I won't complain. That increases the odds that our children will get along, just like we do.”

Ten minutes later, the roast was in the oven, and Heli and Kaja were enjoying a cup of tea in the living room, when two loud sneezes could be heard from the nursery.

“HAP-KIHSHHHH!!!”

“ATSHHHH!!!”

Almost immediately, Meelis and Toivo came running into the room, excited smiles on their faces. “Did you hear that?” Meelis said, “The dust and paint made both of us sneeze at the same time! That means that the two of you are going to have sons!”

“I'm sorry to break it to you, dear,” Heli said, rubbing her stomach, “But Kaja and I sneezed simultaneously less than an hour ago. If there's any truth to that story, then we'll be having girls.”

“Hmm...” Toivo said, “In that case, I wonder which set of sneezes takes precedence. Sometimes being the first gives the advantage, but sometimes, the newest job or request is the one that's tackled first.”

“I suppose we'll just have to wait and see,” Heli said, “In the meantime, come have some tea with us. You've been working for almost two hours, and you deserve a break.”

(Four months later, Heli went into labor, and after eighteen hours of various levels of discomfort, gave birth to twins, first a girl, then a boy. A month after that, Kaja's had her own child, or rather children, because she also had twins, first a girl, then a boy. Since there was no history of twins in either family, the doctors were a bit surprised. The friends, however, all thought back to that afternoon visit and smiled ruefully, concluding that fate or whatever guided superstitions had decided to solve the problem in the simplest way possible.)

From Estonia: If two pregnant woman sneeze at the same time, they’re both going to have daughters, but if the husbands sneeze at the same time, they’re going to have sons.

***

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Edited December 25, 2021 by Wig_Powder