[Warning English is not my first language]
This is a short story participation contest for "Achoo!" by Contests and Challenges. The prompt is "Achoo!!! challenge contest. With questions about Achoo! You sneeze so hard that your soul exits into your...
Karen Benneth is a career woman who has a busy schedule. She is always moving from one project to another that she is working on. Whether it's working at the office volunteering at her church through bingo nights, or taking up a new hobby, it's all to keep her busy. However, the many activities and successes she received did not give her any satisfaction at all.
Just like any other day, Karen keeps herself busy in the office. The piles of documents that need to be finalized mean she has to work overtime today. Her office mates knew that she was a workaholic and could only advise her to rest or take a holiday.
"Karen, are you sure you can finish in one week?" asked her workmate Jose. "It's a lot..." said Jose again.
"Yes, I'm sure I can finish this document. Besides, I don't like piling up work..." said Karen who was still struggling with the computer screen.
Looking at Karen who was motionless in front of the computer screen, Jose let out a tired sigh. "I know that. All of us in this room know it..." Jose said.
"...But make sure you get some rest too, if you get sick, you're on your own" Jose advised quietly.
"Yes, yes... I understand..." said Karen who was irritated by Jose's advice. "Tsk, what does he know about my health..." Karen thought angrily.
As the clock struck 9.00 pm, Karen, who was in the office, was meticulously making report documents quickly. Some documents needed to be revised and some documents needed to be recreated. Some of them were the result of yesterday's project with another company.
After finishing her work, Karen emailed the results of the report to her boss and her teammates, not forgetting to also print the document. To avoid any problems tomorrow, she copied all her files onto a flash disc.
Karen takes a taxi home because her car is still in the shop. Tonight was cold, even though she was wearing a jacket and sweater, the wind was still cold. She also remembers that some of the employees in her office are starting to catch colds. He took eucalyptus oil to relieve the cold, he rubbed it on his hands and neck.
A...AA...ACHOOOOOOO!!!!
"Eh...?"
"Eh?"
"EH!?!?!"
Karen screamed, confused by her surroundings. Her sneeze had made her soul leave her body. She saw her body lying on the ground unconscious. Confusion and fear overwhelmed her this time. Suddenly the memories of his life were spinning, there were feelings of annoyance, anger, and disappointment that he felt. She saw people surrounding her body and called an ambulance to take her to the hospital.
The next second Karen felt her soul lift as if she wanted to fly somewhere. She insisted on staying but her soul thought otherwise. At first, she felt uplifted and a few seconds later she was flying very fast like she was riding a rollercoaster. She felt the distance between her soul and her body begin to slip away.
Karen landed on a road in the middle of the forest, where she could see a straight staircase. On it was written the word 'This Way'. She initially hesitated to return to her body, but she couldn't. Suddenly she climbed the stone stairs, the quiet atmosphere was only the sound of wind and squeaking birds that adorned her journey.
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