“Good morning, Ariadna. How are you feeling this morning?”

“Very well. Thank you, Doctor.”

He slowly drew closer, leaving the bag on the table. “You’re looking very pretty and elegant. I hear this is a big day for you.”

“Yes. Today I’m going to be reunited with my family.”

“That’s wonderful. Family is what really matters in life. Señor Leandro has asked me to offer you his deepest apologies for not being able to greet you personally. An urgent matter has cropped up, and he’ll be away temporarily. I’ll let him know you looked splendid.”

“Thanks.”

“Shall we administer a tonic to give you a bit more strength?”

Ariadna stretched out her naked arm submissively. The doctor smiled, opened his bag, and pulled out a leather pouch that he unrolled over the table. Ariadna recognized the twelve numbered bottles attached with elastic bands, and the metallic box for the hypodermic syringe.

The doctor leaned over her and took her arm delicately. “If I may.”

He began to feel her skin, which was covered in the marks and bruises of countless injections. While he explored the front of her forearm, her wrist, the space between her knuckles, and tapped the skin gently, he smiled at her. Ariadna looked into his eyes and lifted the skirt of her dress to reveal her thighs. There were also needle marks there, but farther apart.

“If you like you can prick me here.”

The doctor affected a show of utmost modesty and nodded discreetly. “Thank you. I think it will be better.”

She observed him as he prepared the injection. He’d chosen the bottle marked number nine. She’d never seen him choose that bottle before. Once the syringe was ready, the doctor searched for a spot on the inside of her left thigh, right above the top of the new silk stocking she’d just pulled on.

“It might hurt a bit at first, and you might feel the cold. It will only be for a few seconds.”

Ariadna watched the doctor as with concentration he drew the needle to her skin. When the point was one centimeter from her thigh, she spoke.

“You didn’t use the cotton wool with alcohol today, Doctor.”

The man looked up briefly in surprise, and smiled hesitantly.

“Do you have daughters, Doctor?”

“Two, God bless them. Señor Leandro is their godfather.”

It happened in barely a second. Before the doctor had finished uttering those words and could return to his task, Ariadna grabbed his hand powerfully and thrust the needle into his throat. A bewildered look flooded the eyes of the good doctor. His arms fell to his sides, and he began to shake, the syringe stuck in his neck. The solution became tinted with blood. Ariadna held his gaze, gripped the syringe, and emptied its contents into his jugular vein. The doctor opened his mouth without uttering a sound and fell on his knees. She sat down again on the chair and watched him die. He took two to three minutes.