Dusty Tomes Make Sneezy Homes

[TheSoundwaveSubmarine]

(Skip to "STORY" for story)

Been working on this for a little bit and wanted to have it in full before I posted it but time and energy are just not coming to me recently so I got it to a decently sized cut off point and thought I'd share part 1 and then share part 2 if part 1 is liked and also when I do have the time and energy to actually write out more lol

Word Count (In Part 1): 804
Sneeze Count (In Part 1): 2
Part One of this story contains: mess (snot and spray), hitching, failed stifles, dust allergy sneezes

STORY
 

            Lavender paced around her cottage, grabbing colorful bottles as she went. The witch raided her small cabinet of herbs and spices, grabbing several small glass jars from within and tucking them under her arm alongside the bottles. It was going to be a full moon that night, and that’s when her magic was always at its most potent, her spells more likely to be successful and able to achieve more impressive magical feats than usual. All that was to say that tonight was the perfect night for some potion brewing.
            She placed all her bottles and jars down onto a small table in her brewing room, giving a few of the bottles a shake to ensure their liquid contents hadn’t settled too much before setting them down. She was going to try her hand at a potion she didn’t brew very often: a luck potion.
            Luck potions were tricky. Luck herself was a rather fickle mistress and trying to take her reins tended to have utterly random results. One attempt to improve luck may make you win the lottery and another may make it so you’re lucky enough to narrowly miss being struck by lightning 17 times but still almost be hit 17 times regardless. Lone pennies found on the street and four leaf clovers popped up amongst their peers all contained some level of luck that could temporarily sway your own internal luck level, but a luck potion aimed at a more concentrated formula of it with a more profound effect. As important as the potion was, Lavender knew she needed to be precise with her measurements and the quality of the ingredients she used. A teaspoon too much of a spice or a slightly torn bayleaf and the spell could have the opposite intended effect.
            Lavender grabbed one of her potion books from the shelf and flipped towards the end half, scanning the pages until she found the L section. She read over the ingredients carefully, ensuring she didn’t skip over any or misread a teaspoon as a tablespoon. As she prepped her ingredients, grabbing the correct portions of each amount, she got to one ingredient that gave her slight pause.
            Mint - One salamander
            Oh, blast it. Many potion books were a collection of recipes from older tomes, many having been translated several times. Though usually these translations would also change the measurements to be more reflective of quantifiable, specific measurements, sometimes an ingredient or two was missed in the conversion. 
            Lavender pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. A salamander of mint. How anyone got potions made in the old days she had no idea. How much was a salamander? What sort of salamander? Was it by the length of a mint leaf or diced until it reached the weight of a salamander? She figured the potion didn’t need a Chinese Giant Salamander amount, but would a red-backed salamander amount be enough? She realized with a groan she’d need to consult her conversion book, one she had last left down in the basement and didn’t use very often.
            Lavender abandoned her table of ingredients for the moment and headed towards the basement door, opening it and peering down in the dark, cool space below. As she climbed down the rickety old stairs, she could already feel a pin-prick tickle blossoming in the back of her nose as her movements and everything she touched stirred up dust into the air. Cringing, she mumbled to herself about this being exactly why she didn’t visit the basement very often. Rubbing itchily at the underside of her tickling nostrils, Lavender sniffled thickly, her allergies already springing to action and making her congested. She squished her nose against the palm of her gloved hand, giving a forceful sniff to try and relieve the itch growing in her nose.
            “H…hhehhhh…” 
            Lavender shoved her nose more firmly against her palm, quickly banishing the beginnings of a sneeze, though doing nothing to send away the tickle. Waving a hand by her quickly pinkening nose, she gave a sniff and blinked her watery eyes as she mumbled:
            “Not gonna sneeze, not gonna sneeze…I’m p-perfectly…hh-! Snff! …perfectly in control of my ah…allergies, and I can handle a little d-dust…” 
            Her tickly nose seemed to vehemently disagree with her, scrunching up as she gave a heaving gasp, nostrils flaring widely.
            “iiHHHHHCKK’TTTCCHHHHSHHH!” She failed to stifle the forceful sneeze, spraying it wetly into her open hand, though it did little to relieve the ferocious itch that had planted itself in her sensitive sinuses. She gave a hurried, liquid snivel, nostrils still fully flared as she pressed her finger up against the underside of her nose, trying desperately to hold back. “Damned…allergies…kKKSSHHHH!” The forecful half-stifle sent mucus to her upper lip and her itchy nostrils flared as she quickly snivelled it up. “Charming…” 

[Its All Sternutation]

Wow, this is an amazing start. I can’t wait to read more of this. You’re not just an amazing artist, but a great writer too 🤧

[TheSoundwaveSubmarine]

On 3/7/2024 at 6:22 AM, Its All Sternutation said:

Wow, this is an amazing start. I can’t wait to read more of this. You’re not just an amazing artist, but a great writer too 🤧

Hehehe thank you

I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. I'm guessing a part two is in order then?

[poiub]

Great writing, love this!

[anna]

Lovelyyyy!!

[Its All Sternutation]

Yessss, I would love to see a part 2 of this. This is gonna be an amazing fic

 

[Botek]

Huh, this one's cool