[ Writing Prompt ] A person gets what seems to be a common cold until they find that every time they sneeze they jump time/dimensions .

**'' Bless You'' ** 
 
 **A Short Story Through Time And Space** 
 
 *Part 1* 
 
 `` Why are you looking at me like that?'' 
 
 
 `` Like what?'' Earl smiled at the brunette love of his life walking next to him in the theme park, the young college boy constantly reaching over to hold her hand while she continually swatted it away. 
 
 
 `` Idunno,'' she said as she rolled her eyes. She leaned in closer to him to speak with her chin on his shoulder. `` I mean we're out in public, I'm in love with you too but I'm still apprehensive about all of this.'' 
 
 
 `` Do n't be, Sarah,'' said Earl as he finally let go of her hand, turning his head to glance at the tallest roller coaster in the park. `` You and me, we're in this together. If it takes a little time or if you want me to keep my distance, I understand and I'll respect that.'' He turned back to look at her as a strand of her long black hair blew across his face during a sudden breeze. `` But nothing can keep me from loving you.'' 
 
 
 `` That's sweet,'' she said with a mild blush as she looked away, folding both of her hands together and smiling down at the pavement under her feet. `` Though as much as I'd like to kiss you right now, I do n't want to catch any of your germs until you're over that bug that's going around.'' 
 
 
 `` Do n't worry, it's just seasonal allergies,'' he assured her as he pulled a tissue from his pocket, blowing his nose. `` I swear, every time the weather changes my sinuses ca n't handle it.'' 
 
 
 `` Well, I'm going to get some cotton candy. Win me one of those giant teddy bears! I want one really bad, and you're an expert shot.'' 
 
 
 Earl smiled as she quickly walked off toward the candy stall. She always had to have the last word in a conversation, even though she was as shy as a newborn puppy. But he had everything he wanted in her, and she was all he needed. 
 
 
 Another breeze blew behind his shoulders as he felt pressure build within the depths of his nasal cavities, slowly bending over and letting out a loud sneeze. At that precise moment, the passengers on the roller coaster where in the midst of their first big descent, screaming with joy and despair in harmony all at once. 
 
 
 And then there was nothing. 
 
 
 ****************** 
 
 
 Earl found himself standing in front of a closed hardwood coffin, his aged body garbed in a blue suit adorned with old war medals. There was an immense pain in his back and chest, and a thick pair of black-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose did little to improve his blurred vision. 
 
 
 A few framed photographs sat on top of the casket, and in them was a dark-haired woman with an infectious smile and bright turquoise eyes that could have put the waters of the Caribbean to shame. He should have known who she was, but for some reason he just could n't grasp the thought in his mind. It evaded him constantly, and it was beginning to annoy him. 
 
 
 A woman in her 50's with curly brown hair walked up next to him, placing her hand on his arm and at that exact moment Earl realized just how old he really was. A sad but strong smile was on her face, and she looked up at him before glancing back at the photographs of the woman. `` See, Dad?'' she asked. `` Is n't she so pretty? You remember who she is, right? That's Mom. That's your wife. You were married to her for a long time, until she passed away on Monday. You were happy together.'' 
 
 
 `` Oh,'' said Earl as he looked down at his shaking hands, their wrinkled surface marked with weathered blue veins. Airships hovered in the sky outside the window next to the funeral home, streamlined in aerial traffic like a school of fish swimming through the ocean. `` Oh...'' 
 
 
 `` I know it's sad that she's gone. We all loved her very much,'' said Earl's daughter as she leaned her head against his shoulder, stifling a few sobs. `` But she will always be in our hearts, and in our memories.'' 
 
 
 Who was this woman standing next to him, crying on his shoulder? Did he know her? He must have known her, and he must have just forgot. He kept trying to think of who it was who spoke to him just now, but the memory kept slipping out of his hands like a live fish. And who was the woman in the photograph? Where was he? This situation was becoming very uncomfortable for Earl. 
 
 
 `` Just remember that we all love you, Dad,'' she said with a sniff. `` And we all loved her, too.'' 
 
 
 Oh, so it must have been his daughter or stepdaughter. Maybe the woman in the photograph was his wife? Or it could have been his sister. The horizon in Earl's mind felt like a great white desert full of sand, and the sand kept shifting and changing but he had no recollection of where it had been before. What was his name? Who were these people? 
 
 
 Earl's cheek stiffened as a group of tears flooded from his right eye, a few salty droplets plummeting down onto the shoulder of his uniform. He was n't crying because the woman in the pictures was dead. He cried because he did n't know who she was. He did n't know who any of these people were. He did n't know anything. It was the most horrible and lonely feeling in the entire world. 
 
 
 The funeral director to his right began spraying a few bursts of air freshener on the fake plants in the corner, and it did n't take long for the chemicals of the scent to flood Earl's sinuses. His back arched slightly as he inhaled sharply, coughing out a loud sneeze. 
 
 
 Darkness again. 
 
 
 **************** 

