Acoustics

[pepperbreeze]

This happened a few months ago.

I was walking on a warm, sunny day and found a strange looking cobbled alley. I followed it for a while, pushing my way through foliage hanging over the fences from the houses on either side as it gradually became more overgrown. It was damp and musty, but the plant life left a slightly sweet smell in the air. My nose started to tickle while I walked. I assumed it was some plant that was bothering me. Because I was out in public my first instinct was to rub my nose and try to avoid a sneeze even though there was noone around. Eventually the sides became steeper, and the alleyway turned into some kind of old cobbled drain. The more I walked the higher the sides got, and the more my nose itched.

I walked as far as I could, until my progress was blocked by a chain link fence. Now the sides were higher than my head. And I felt like a sneeze was imminent, but I was still trying to fight it by breathing mostly through my mouth. I was scrunching my nose as it itched and tickled. Something had been bothering it for 20 minutes. I started thinking about the acoustics of the drain, and how a loud sound might echo or reverberate. Maybe it was time to let the sneeze go, and maybe I should really let it go.

I took a deep breath through my nose. The tickling turned into burning, from my nostrils into my sinuses. I stopped and tilted my head back. Nostrlis flared and twitching I stood in anticipation. My nose had stage fright, and the sneeze just wouldn't come out. I pinched at the tip of my nose, then tried to dig my thumbnail into the skin below my nostrils to push the sneeze over the edge, but I was stuck in torturous limbo. My right eye was watering.

I took a packet of tissues from my bag. Looking back I have no idea where I found the confidence, but I decided to induce. There was nobody around, and it would have been hard for anyone to see me. But I was still out in the open. I was still discrete about rolling up a corner of the tissue and poking my left nostril. Almost immediately:

"haahch'HUUU"

The sneeze was mostly unrestrained and wet. I didn't hear any echo, but suddenly I took another sharp breath in. It is almost unheard of for me to sneeze a double when inducing! I leaned into this one even more for a harsh one syllable sneeze.

"heh!? HAAARRTCHHH"

I heard a slight ring from the sound reverberating, and I swore I heard a quiet echo carry down the drainpipe.

I still hope nobody heard. Or saw 😬

It was fun though. Has anyone else leaned into sneezing in some places with interesting acoustics?

 

[MidnightCatK]

Your description of your walk sounds so ethereal and dreamlike! Overall an absolute pleasure to read! I'm not sure I've ever taken notice of if I've sneezed in an area with interesting acoustics, but I will now!

[Stormer235]

Great descriptions! I can't say I've ever done it intentionally, but people sneezing in echoey places like bathrooms does tend to catch me off guard. It can be funny when it happens.

[RosyLights]

Ooh nice! I really like the way that you set the scene- very vivid! Interesting point about the acoustics, too. I can't recall any time that I've heard a particularly echoing sneeze, and I've certainly never done so myself. That's a fun concept, though!