THE SCENT THAT WARNED

The warning comes before the fever: one smell, and someone's already on the way to getting sick.

For as long as they can remember, the poster says they and their sister have had an odd ability, they can smell when people are sick or about to get sick. Not after a cough or a complaint. Not up close, either. They say, "we can literally smell you."

The poster says this has happened with dozens and dozens of people over their life. They'll notice it, tell the person they're getting sick, and then, days later, the message arrives. "I will smell it, I will tell you that you're getting sick and then you will text me a few days later and tell me I was right," they wrote.

The scent, they say, is hard to mistake once you know it. "a mixture of pine and a hint of garlic (?)" is how they describe it. And it's not just breath. The poster insists the smell seems to come from the body itself: "your pores literally radiate this smell."

They're not entirely sure what to call the ability. "I'm not sure if this is my 'special gift' but it's actually disgusting," they wrote, framing it as something both useful and gross. Useful, because it can tip people off before they're fully down with the flu. Gross, because once they notice it, there's no un-smelling it.

That's part of why they say the whole thing has become hard to ignore. They can pick it up without standing right next to someone, and they've noticed it across many different people, not just one type or one setting. The smell shows up, the warning follows, and later the confirmation lands in their inbox or texts.

The poster even points out the practical side: "I guess it's helpful in a way because I can tell people in advance and maybe they can take some measures before they are riddled with the full blown flu but.."

Still, the message at the end is blunt. After all the pine, all the garlic, all the forewarnings and follow-up texts, the poster closes with the same conclusion every time: "You guys stink."