500 word limit story starting with "A single sneeze was all it took..."

CJWrites

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Hey all,

I hope you're enjoying these prompts as much as I am. This one comes to us via the lovely and talented @reversedbackwards who won the previous prompt with the most votes. His suggestion is:

"A single sneeze was all it took..."

Please keep your entry to 500 words or less and start with this exact phrase. It is less about the contest and more about just getting your creative juices flowing for a compact story. AND! Most importantly, to have fun with it! Ready, set, GO!!

Cheers
 

Kldran

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A single sneeze was all it took... A startled finger twitch... A trigger pulled just a little too hard... *Bang* The stand off ended.

"I'm sorry. I'm the one who sneezed. I've got allergies. It's not my fault. It's the tree's fault for blooming at this time!"

"See! I totally deserve credit for those kills!"

"No. Making someone sneeze with your pollen doesn't qualify you as an evil tree, even if it was the trigger of a firefight. The fight would've happened eventually regardless. So, no, you can't become an evil spirit."

"But, it's not my fault!"

"The fault you hold is showing up to a firefight with a gun. The sneezing isn't your fault, but encouraging all your friends to join you on this heist is. You'll get your punishment after we arrive."

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!"

*sigh* collecting souls is such a terrible job. Having to deal with the harassment of plant spirits who want a new job doesn't help.
 

Altruizer

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A single sneeze was all it took. A [World Event], started by one given the name *beep* by the whole world. A blessing for some, a curse for some.

The starting point could be called strategic and disastrous at the same time. Strategic, because in the most populated country in the world, it can spread easily. It was disastrous for the same reason.

As some were cursing the [World Event] while futilely hiding in their houses, a portion of the world were working hard. (Mind you, to keep the world running with less than the usual numbers is a task for superhumans.)

That's why we, the yet other portion who are enjoying this, must thank these heroes. They prevented what could've been called an apocalypse. They brave the risks outside, to keep the world running.

- A thanks to all those who are working outside on this pandemic, from a shut-in -
 

Mephi

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A single sneeze was all it took for Lisa's life came to a crashing end. A sneeze, a jerk of the leg, and Truck-Driver-kun's foot slipped off the brake onto the accelerator. The child playing in the crosswalk simply couldn't get out of the way in time. Lisa, panicking, reached out to the kid, and shoving the little one out of the way. Unfortunately, this didn't leave enough time for Lisa to escape, the sight of the brat landing safely out of the way, before bursting into tears the last thing she ever saw in this life.

"Dang it all to heck," Truck-Driver-kun swore as he stared down at the mangled body lying on the street, the irritation of the voice offset slightly with the not-so-colorful curses. "That is a right pain in the rear, it is. The boss-man is going to be real Peed Off. And I already got a full delivery to make, this is gonna be a hell of a lot of paperwork." His gaze shifted from the dead body of Lisa on the street...

.... to the selfsame Lisa, now sitting next to the driver, up in the truck cabin.

"What?" One word. That was all that Lisa could manage as the truck casually took off, driving over the body - her dead body - and leaving behind the crowd.

"Yeah, you're kind of dead. Life's over. Sorry, but I'm fresh out of Lethe water, so you're just going to have to live with it, I'm afraid. The boss-man might have some more, but, well, you're kind of unscheduled, and, well, I really need to get back onto mine. The shipment is already late."

"What." Not a question, not this time. Lisa could feel the shock slowly ebb away, and the faint stirrings of anger take root in her chest, lending a more dangerous edge to her voice. This incomprehensible gibberish nonsense was supposed to be an apology for killing her and turning her into a ghost? And, just leaving her body there, and her family, so he can make a delivery?

"Now, now, don't get your knockers in a twist. Lots of good people will end up dying if we don't get these heroes answer the summons," a finger jerked back towards the back. "Check it out for yourself if you don't believe me." Almost involuntarily, Lisa's eyes followed the finger towards the back of the truck, spotting the window to look into the cargo space.

"What the fuck!?" Dozens of unmoving bodies of different people, all lying around in beds and on the ground, secured with straps and chains. Asleep? Coma? Dead?

"Now, now, there's no call for cussing like that," Truck-Driver-kun scolded her, as if she was just some naughty child, before pausing, clearly rethinking his words. "Okay, fine, there is some call. Tell you what, I'll make this little accident up to you. How'd you like to join that lot in another world? Fantasy, magic, monsters, the works?"

"A real isekai."
 

Pat-Tricks-ter

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A single sneeze was all it took... and the my whole world started collapsing.

Buildings started falling to the ground. Fire started razing everywhere you look. People screaming for help can be heard.

"This..sob..sob.. this is.. sob.. all my... fault..wuuwuwuwu.." a bald man said. He is crying but his face remained with only an expressionless look.

A few minutes earlier.

"What should I do today? Its so boring..." a bald man muttered to himself, kicking a pebble on the road upward lightly. The pebble burst with speed and headed to the sky.

Meanwhile, an old man with white beard and amiable face was watching tv, laying on his sofa that is made of cloud. The old man is like a giant for normal people.

While he was relaxing and getting comfortable on his seat, a little thing rush from below him and entered his nose. It started itching, and without surprise, it cause the old man to sneeze loudly. *SNEEEEZZZEEEE!!*

....The End?
 

binarysoap

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A single sneeze was all it took for these two to fall under her spell and once the special leather gloves were removed they were loose like cheap spandex. "Do you know what my fetish is?" Sam asked, hardly sounding interested in knowing the details. She immediately let him on the plan. "I am only a toy. If you use me, then you will be free from my cravings. The chance of it happening is slim at best, but with you here I have a real chance. So strap on your best sexual bully, strap on your sexiest boss, strap on a sex hound." She paused to rub a male member through his sopping wet thong before adding, "You should know the rest."

As usual, this may or may not have been written by a bot
 

iamchangingthissoon

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(side note: no, i am not on drugs. also, have fun reading)

a single sneeze was all it took.

This room, laced with golden opportunities, was where anything could have happened.

Anything

Anything!

anything~♡

The cameras that were set, the tables that were drawn and my ear drums were shattered by this disgusting human act.

The motion of being in my room terrifies me, this incident was the last of my attempts of watching paint dry and now I am trapped with these bootleg like ears.

I am allergic to paint, and my room sounds as echoey as amplified mountains. Whenever one talks in this miserable abysmal room, it sounds like voices poking your heart, looming over you, trying to take control of you. It’s like a miniature h-double-hockey-sticks.

Breathe in, breathe out...

Breathe in. breathing out

bReATh iN, BrEAthE OUT

Hahaha, i can’t hear anything, damn sneeze… i think that it was loud, my ears are now part of this collateral damage. Pfffft...i want to laugh again, but i can’t hear myself… but the echoes of the room have disappeared. Kukuku, perfect, the feeling is gone, no one is watching… It feels lonely

Did I want ‘them’ gone?

Will ‘they’ remember “me”

Did I really want ‘them’ gone?...

Knock...

Knock...

crack…

No matter how many times I repeat my mistakes, the same face, the same posture, the same feeling rings through me.

That bitter onion tastes bad, I close my eyes, I want to cry. But my eyes are dry, painful, and throbbing to the beat of my heart.

Stupid

Stupid

BAKA!~♡

Wait no no no, not now, anything but that. Why are my thoughts like this? First trying to trigger my allergies, the weakest way to self-harm and now this?

Why am I even here? What have I not done to deserve this? What am I doing?... mopping, for what? I have no clue… sneezing… I curse this weird allergy of mine. Yes…

Blame your thoughts…

Blame the echoes…

Blame the sneeze!

wHo DOeS ThaT!... anything means nothing, and failures deserve to burn…

Hahaha… I find that I am clutching a lighter… w-why?

D0 iT

Pffft, nyahahaha~♡

N-n-no w-wh-w-why?!

Hot

Hot

hOt!~♡
I feel more at ease, my tears finally flow free, maybe i can cry myself a river…

*sigh*
 

tyler89558

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A single sneeze was all it took.

I thought I had done everything right, prepared thoroughly, practiced often. This climb was supposed to be a piece of cake.

Turns out, my rope wasn't quite as secure as I thought.

Nor the mountain quite as stable as I was told.

The resulting avalanche somehow broke my fall, so I'm alive... not for very much longer though since I'm half buried in snow and I can't feel my legs.

I probably should have listened when they told me not to go, but what else could I have done. Just a little further, and I would have had it. Just a little more and I could have turned things around for us. Just a little further and I would have been rich.

Dammit

I just had to try to go for that old dwarven legacy before anyone else huh.

Hopefully they can at least find my body. It'd be pretty unfilial of me to die without a body to show for it, right?

It's cold.

I'm cold.

Thinking hurts... just... going to take a nap.

(I have no idea what this is. But you know what, I tried.)
 
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Thanks for the kind words. Though, I suppose it's about time I answer my own prompt, isn't it?
Here it is.
--
A single sneeze was all it took for the entire castle to fall down. Just like that, the newly finished, most beautiful castle to ever exist crumpled in mere seconds. It was smack in the middle of the coldest winter we’ve seen in years. The castle was supposed to be the Prince’s gift to himself for the winter festivities. It was strong and bold, just like him. Yet it vanished so effortlessly.

I could barely believe it. The bright white bricks and the marble interior, gone. 7 years of planning and construction have withered away. I nearly wanted to cry. The Prince and I have been working on this for so, so long. I managed to compose myself. If I revealed my displeasure in front of the Prince, I’m not sure what would happen.

Even if I’m the Prince’s most trusted advisor, I could no nothing but stand in awe. It was a mere sneeze, but I must address it as one for the sake of being polite.

“Bless you, Your Grace.”

“Is that supposed to be some witty joke, William?”

“Of course not, I was simply wishing for your good health, as I always have.”

“Then what of this matter with my castle? Were you attempting to distract me from its destroyed form?”

“Your Grace, I simply wanted to acknowledge your sneeze. If you want to talk about the castle, then naturally, I will indulge you.”

“Let us discuss the castle, William. Please inform me, how did my sneeze level the entire thing?”

“I sensed magic in it, so I suppose you let out your magical power on accident.”

“…Of course, something as stupid as that still plagues me to this day.”

“I must admit, Your Grace, that I am a bit surprised at how well you are coping with this… unfortunate event.”

“Oh William, right now I want to raze the entire country, but I’m convincing myself that enough destruction has occurred via my sneeze. I’m on the edge of breaking, William. What am I going to do to rebuild this? Why was it so fragile?”

“Perhaps it was built incorrectly, Your Grace.”

“Heh. If someone sabotaged my castle I’ll have their head.”

“Your Grace, I would suggest raiding the Bandit Territory near here to get funds for the rebuilding of your castle. You’ve mentioned that you wanted to get rid of those pilfering scoundrels for a while. I’m sure it would satisfy your, well, destructive urges.”

“You know William, I like that idea. Round up my Cobalt Knights, we’ll head out at dawn.”

“With pleasure, Your Grace.”

“Oh, one more thing William. Make sure the castle is finished in the hottest months of the year this time, and with magic-cancelling stone throughout the walls. I will not risk another sneezing incident.”

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

All I could do is be patient and smile to myself. I sincerely hoped this would not take another 7 years.

“Achoo!”

…Perhaps the Prince has caught a cold.
 

clover2218

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A single sneeze was all it took, and just like that, I was a little white rabbit.

What the...? I wanted to say, but all I could do was twitch my little pink nose.

"Oh, do not be so surprised!" My long ears, one lopsided and one standing straight, picked up the deep, gravelly voice I was used to. It sounded much louder and sort of twisted. I probably wouldn't recognise it if I hadn't heard it for thousands of time throughout the course of my lessons.

I looked up. The wrinkled grey-skinned feet of the man standing beside me seemed huge, compared to the white-bearded head that seemed tiny due to the distance from my eyes.

The fuck! I couldn't help the curse. How could I? His tiny yellow eyes looking down at me from far above were too scary for my fast rabbit heart.

"This is the first spell you are going to learn," Bernfeild continued. "transformation of self. For now, you can only change into tiny, herbivorous creatures. Gaining control over time, you will learn the forms of other, more powerful creatures." He sighed, swishing his blue cloak behind him as he turned away, much to my relief. "The legends of old could even transform into the mighty, mythical beings. Dragons! Krakens! Unicorns..." he trailed off, looking at the blue sky above.

I tried listening to his words, but only vaguely registered them. Damn grasses! They were always taking away my attention. My nose twitched again and again, taking in their fresh, energizing smell. My tiny stomach rumbled. Maybe a little nibble--

Snap!

The familiar sound of Bernfield's finger-snapping struck my brain like a thousand volts electrocute spell, and just like that, I was back to my real body once more.

Bernfield brought his hand down like a hammer on my head. The force clamped my teeth down on my tongue.

"OW!" I screamed, covering my mouth with both hands as the afterspell grogginess flew right out of my brain. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Son of a...! What the hell was that for, master?"

"Language, young lady! Remember your status. You are not a street urchin anymore." Bernfield squinted down, glaring at me over his spectacles. "Have I not told you not to give in to the instincts of the animal? Have I not warned you about the dangers of such behaviour?"

"But it was my first time! I couldn't control--"

"Oh! the first time excuse! Those who make excuses are the first to give in to temptations. And such people often end up trapped into the animal."

I looked down, digging into the ground with my toes. "Sorry! I'll be careful next time..."

"Damn right, you will. Or I will not teach you any further."

"Hmph!" I pouted, a bit annoyed now. "Not like I care that much. I mean, sneezing? Really?" I ran a hand over my nose. "Why isn't my activation sign something cooler? Like your finger snapping or something?"

"Oh, get over it!" Benfield's thick, white moustache twitched with a smile. "You have it a lot better. My grandfather used to be one of the most powerful signmages. Do you know what his sign was?"

I tilted my head, staring at Bernfield wiggling his eyebrows at me. I read about his grandfather Marinford in the history books. He was one of the few signmages closest to being a legend. But the books always glossed over his activation sign. Couldn't say I wasn't curious. "What was it?" I asked.

"It was farting."

(sorry for the ending. i don't do fart jokes, but couldn't think of anything more clever off the top of my head...):blob_awkward:
 
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trashwrite

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"A single sneeze was all it took..."

A single sneeze was all it took.

Its funny how things can go so wrong, so fast. I had rehearsed this so many times. I was going to enter the building, slide the note to the teller, and be out with the cash in 5. I couldn't have known someone in the crowd would pick today of all days to play hero.

He couldn't have predicted he wouldn't fire first.

It was supposed to be so easy. I would collect the cash. Pay off my little sisters medical bills. Move out to the midwest, maybe.

Too bad my getaway sped off the second the first gunshot was fired. I panicked. I took a hostage. I did what I thought I needed to survive. Anyone would have. I could negotiate my way out— no one had seen my face. I definitely wasn't planning on killing her, even if my gun was pointed at her head.

I was tense, the negotiator was speaking over a megaphone. My hands were shaking. A million bugs crawled on me, begging me to itch at them, but I couldn't let go. So when I sneezed, and I closed my eyes, and I tensed, she lost her head.

I heard the window break before I felt the bullet. It tore through the side of my neck. There was no more air, as I gagged, and I coughed, and I tried to crawl. I coughed and hacked, blood splattering on the floor around me, before my world turned black.

Taking that life insurance policy in her name was worth it. That was my last thought as my world went black.
 

Ark-

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A single sneeze was all it took.

In the many worlds interpretation, it is said that there are possibly an infinite number of universes that differs from us and yet, feels familiar to all who observes it.

A single sneeze was all it took.

For a universes with different outcome surfaces itself, fundamentally changing the outcome of that universe.

A single sneeze was all it took.

For that nurses to realize her days are numbered. for her witness a single change, a 1/28.800 chance for it to happen in a single day.

A single sneeze was all it took.

To make that room panicked, instantly, screams of terror radiated through out the hospital, the nurses watched for a second to see that drop of water, possibly mucus from the patient noses, dropped in her hand.

The nurses remembered the first time she saw the symptom, a mild pneumonia, a fever, it all sounds pretty generic, yet it took her less than 2 weeks to realize it.

The nurses eyes was now filled with tears, yet even as she immediately wash her hand, to the point the skin became wrinkled, she knows it is useless, she will be brought to the isolation room, to spend her days in a room filled with the sick, not knowing whether she will survives.

A single sneeze was all it took.
 

Senry

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A single sneeze was all it took this time huh? Tensions rise with the tide that washes the masses upon the beaches. This is worse than usual, but altogether expected if you had thought about it.

You’re a smart person, right? Well, compared to some anyway. You can’t be the worst considering your status, regardless of what you think. No, I’m sure you covertly believe you’re among the smartest of people – 99th percentile is humble. Remember the IQ test you were made to take when you were in that spout of depression in your teens? And I hear depression reduces your cognitive functions, so that 130 IQ must be like a... 150 IQ.

Modestly.

A reasonable assumption.

Of course.

And I’m sure we can agree – the best house is the one you are in, even though your family annoys you with their seemingly constant rowdy and snarky blathering about “jobs” and “grades” whenever your clandestine voyages into the realm of an inconsistent diet and self-loathing is abruptly turned into a peacock’s game of self-aggrandisement to appease the other.

"L'enfer, c'est les autres", n’est-ce pas, mon ami?

Maybe you shouldn’t have dropped French, or have seen German through to the end. Didn’t you want to read Goethe, unmolested by the unkeen eye of - the unwashed hand that strokes the unkempt beard of - an unscrupulous hired translator.

Ha! You could pick up either language if you so desired in a week! Of course! What livid ecstasy you inspire!

But I wonder, in those moments when you are candid with yourself. When you stare into that mirror for a minute too long, has the mirror ever cracked? Have you ever really... Shattered?

No?

Not yet?

Well then my friend, traverse once more the creaking floorboards of “your” house. You must not dare to go when tensions are high and budgets are low. Only in plenty should your boat row down those narrow straits.

But if you should falter, if you should trip, draw attention to yourself as more than a blip, if you are the focus and more than a breeze...

Let’s just say, you best not sneeze.
 

Canaan

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Just single snaze all it took.
"What the heck" ohhh cmon why i in middle of ocean with a battle ship and why i a girl?.
Let see one minute earlier i playing a world of warship and.........ohhh mamamia dont tell me my sneze is transporting me in ocean, idiot thinking it will not give me a clue, shit why feel like artilery pounding my head with HE shel and why my surounding is dark aww cmon...........■ one moment later ■ the heck I become USS Enterprise CVN-65, how I move my ship body uhuuuu okay it freaky just thinking it how I move my ship body it moved in her own 'good to know' lets go in that direction maybe i will see a land in that direction "....this is prince of wales from royal navy, azur lane base got attacked by sakura empire please help us....." shit azur lane base, so i got transported in azur lane dimension huh. This is why people always say to someone who snaze 'god bless you' in my situation like this i feel like god is playing with me, shit it no use crying over a spoiled milk cmon canaan in this situation what dad always say 'cmon son just flow like water in river' yup dad give me a lazy advice. I must help them full spead areeee areeee shit i feel like pirate, i forgot to respond them " this is USS Enterprise CVN-65 to prince of wales help please wait for me my waifu" that must azur lane base " all plane attack....." if i see enterpraise i will call her momma enty her reaction must hilariuss heheheheheehe
 
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