You turn up the heat.

While the air outside was crisp and cool, inside your greenhouse the atmosphere was sweltering. The air was moist and the mist thick and while you sat in the cool comfort of your control room, your victim was trapped in that humid hellhole wearing a heavy orange wool turtleneck sweater. It was an apt name for the garment, given the circumstances. You turn a dial and the heat steadily increases even more, intent on making the girl even more miserable, or at least thirsty.

Velma walked over to the fountain and scrutinized it. While it seemed like it was pretty innocent, she felt she couldn’t trust just about anything in this house. But the conditions inside were only getting worse and the rippling water looked oh so inviting. She laid her hand on the edge of the basin and drew it back in surprise. The basin was ice cold to the touch and that meant the water was likely the same. Velma placed both hands on the stonework and let out a long sigh of relief before dropping to her knees in front of it. She then pressed her brow against the basin and let out such a groan of pleasure you almost wondered if she had given herself a mild orgasm. She was on the ground, most of her body obscured by the thick mist, reveling in how the carved fountain acted like a relieving balm across her forehead.

“Wow, that feels so good!”

She picked herself up and as she got back to her feel, she couldn’t avoid glancing downward at the water reflecting the ceiling of the greenhouse. It was just too inviting. She felt what was left of her common sense and internal willpower flee from her mind as she cupped the water in both hands and too a **** sip. It felt amazing as it cascaded down her dry throat and filled her with a renewed strength. She tried to sip another handful of water but she quickly abandoned the notion and bend over the basin. She managed to lean just far enough to sip from the water that poured from the carving of the women with the vase as it fell into the bowl underneath it. As she drank greedily, she felt herself cooling off, her body relaxing and her stress level dropping. She struggled to maintain her balance as she inhaled great mouthfuls of refreshing ice cold water and finally she pulled away, staggering back onto the rubber gravel path as she prepared to resume her journey.

“Golly that was great, I feel much better now! It’s time to get on with this mess and rescue Daphne.”

She took several deep breaths, feeling very rejuvenated and thankful she had decided to risk drinking from the fountain. She had doubts she would be getting much more if any relief from her struggles as the night wore on and she was appreciative for the tiny respite. She walked further down the path with confident strides despite the mist becoming so thick she couldn’t see the ground beneath her, which was exactly why she lost her balance as she felt her foot slide on something. She grabbed the hedges to keep from completely collapsing and managed to get her feet underneath her. She carefully knelt in place and felt the ground had turned from rubber gravel to wet grass.

“Oh Jinkies! Guess I need to watch my step from now on. There’s no telling what might be lying in wait hidden underneath all this fog.”

She continued on although she felt it was difficult to maintain her balance and her focus. While she felt much cooler now, she also noticed that a feeling of listlessness that she had first felt after guzzling down the water. Sure, she was much cooler now but she also felt like her body had decided to go to sleep on her. She felt that her nervous system wasn’t working at full capacity. Velma tried to take several more steps and reach the end of the first turn in the path but moving her legs was becoming a chore.

She felt a cold lump in her stomach as she realized she had in fact been right to suspect the fountain and she felt the warm drenched grass against her face. It smelled really nice. Had she fallen over? Velma hadn’t noticed. She was vaguely aware she was sideways. She didn’t even feel herself stumbling off balance. There was no pain, something that she would have expected with a collision onto the earthy ground. Well, at least that ground was rather soft and comfy. She tried to focus on staying awake, tried to remind herself of Daphne and that her friend needed her but she felt her vision blurring even more.

“Jinkies . . . . I really blew it . . .this time.”

The glasses fell from Velma’s face as she completely passed out.