Bridget entered the restaurant with a nervous look in her eye. It had been some time since she had had a girl's night out, but her old friend Katheryn was too persuasive to take no for an answer. Since they had decided to pick a rather fancy restaurant on the city's 'Gold Coast', she had, of course, dressed to impress. After all, you never know who might be watching. She wore a long royal blue dress with a slit up the right leg and a neckline that clearly showed off her figure. Her brown hair was down, except for a small part that had been put in a ponytail to give it a layered look in the back. She had styled her hair to give it a slightly wavy look, for effect of course.
Her friend met her at the door and the usual hugs and greetings followed. Katheryn was far shorter than Bridget at just over five feet tall. But she had long, curly, ginger hair that offset her pale skin to make her stand out. And her bright green cocktail dress accentuated her figure in all the right ways.
The two were escorted to a table out on the balcony, it was the perfect evening and the moon was high in the clear night sky. The balcony was practically deserted. The dinner rush had just ended and it would be at least several hours before the evening crowd rolled in. It was the perfect time for the two girls to catch up. And what better way to catch up then with a glass of wine.
The waiter brought over what he described as a very special bottle. "So what makes this bottle so special?" Bridget asked her friend with a curious smile.
"I picked this one out myself back in Ireland, it's from a very small vineyard located in the lowlands. They only produce about a hundred or so bottles a year, and then they store them in a wine cellar for 20 years before selling them. This wine isn't just a drink, it's an experience!" she said with a smile.
The waiter poured both girls a glass in the proper fashion, only filling it about a quarter of the way so that it could breathe. Katheryn tried to hide the devious grin on her face as she picked up the glass and swirled the deep purple liquid in it under her nose. "Mmmmm..." she moaned with a grin. "Such a wonderful bouquet...you have to let it breathe for a few minutes to fully appreciate it."
Bridget rolled her eyes at her friend. "You always were more of a wine connoisseur than I was, but I'll take your word for it." she said with a grin before smelling the wine herself. That sniff, however, went straight to her head. The smell of the wine was very strong and fruity, but there was something else...something hidden in the scent that she couldn't quite pick out. Her eyes rolled up into her head and for a moment she thought she might actually faint. She managed to brace herself on the table as she opened her eyes as wide as she could to look at the smiling Katheryn. "Wow!" she said, shaking her head to try and clear it. "This thing really packs a punch!"
Katheryn giggled as she moved her chair around the table, closer to Bridget, "Doesn't it though? It takes a little getting used to, but the more you smell it, the better the taste will be...when you get there. Just swirl it around and then take another long...slow sniff...and let the aroma fill your lungs." she said, watching her friend with a strangely devious smile.
Bridget gulped before bringing the glass back up to her nose and inhaling the aroma of the wine. The effects hit her almost instantly. Her eyes fluttered up into her head as it began to tip forward. The glass slipped from her hand in the process, but by that point Katheryn had already grabbed the stem and was able to guide it to safety. Bridget caught her head with her hand and tried desperately to keep her eyes open. "I...I..." she struggled "I don't...think this...is for me..." she took several deep breaths as her eyes fluttered closed so she wouldn't see the world physically spinning. "I'm...I'm sorrrrrr..." was all she managed to get out before Katheryn swirled the glass under her nose again.
"No need to be sorry." she said with a playful giggle. "Just let the aroma do its job..." Bridget jerked her head back as hard as she could to get away from the smell of the wine. But in doing so she fell back into her chair, and for the briefest of moments everything went dark for the young actress. Her eyes closed as her head slumped to her shoulder, while her arms slipped from the table and into her lap. The impact of her hands hitting her lap, however, managed to wake her up...somewhat, as she looked around, even more confused than before. It didn't last long, and soon as her eyes were fluttering down until they were barely half lidded while she continued her struggle to stay awake.
"That's it my dear, old friend. You can feel the power of the wine now..." Kathryn said as she picked up the glass and slowly waved it under the brunette's nose. Bridget's head jerked back again and rolled to the side as she sighed, fainting briefly, before the glass was waved under her nose again. This time she woke just long enough for her head to roll slightly to the other side before she let out another soft sigh and fell back into a fainted sleep. Kathryn couldn't help but smile as she leaned in and helped to prop her friends head up so that she should see her lovely sleeping face. "Bridget... oooohhhh Bridget...You awake in there, honey?" she asked playfully.
Bridget opened her sleepy, tired eyes and struggled to focus on Katheryn. "I'm...I'm still here..." she said, trying to put the overlapping images of her friend together in her mind. "What...what's in that stuff?" she asked, slurring her words a bit.
"Chloroform." Katheryn said bluntly, without so much as a hint of a smile on her face.