I sneezed.
“Bless you”
“Thankyou”
“Oo,” chipped in someone, I can’t remember who or where, except she was female and obviously wooly-minded. “you’ve killed a fairy!”
“What?”
“If someone blesses you, and you say thankyou, it breaks the blessing and kills a fairy”

Now every time I sneeze and someone says gezundheit or pruset (however it’s spelled) or bless you, I have a quandary. Do I stay silent and risk looking rude? Do I say “thank you” and risk killing a fairy? Do I ask whether the blesser believes in fairies and risk getting a funny look and/or thrown out of the gay bar?

I usually opt for the silence. Not because I want to save a fairy, but because if there is any action that will encourage someone who believes in fairies to talk to me, I’d like to avoid it.