TF (women into liquid)
“Gentlemen!” Tim slammed his palm down on the table. “Your attention, please. The wine tasting will now begin!”
He pointed to the four bottles in the middle of the table.
“As you can see, the bottles have no labels - no identifying characteristics at all, in fact. We’ll all try a little of each bottle, and Ben -“ he nodded to the man on his left - “will record our thoughts. Ready?”
The other three mumbled their assent.
“Okay, I will, of course, go first.” He poured a little of the first bottle into four wine glasses, handing them around. Tim held his glass up to the light, swirling the red wine around before taking a sip. The others followed.
“Hmm … full-bodied …”
“Kind of sweet …” added Ben.
“I’d even say cheeky …” Graham noted.
“Butterscotch finishes,” Will said.
“So … I’m saying Jessica.”
“Definitely.”
Ben made a note on his pad.
“Next bottle. Will, would you do the honours?”
Will poured and the quartet raised their glasses to their mouths.
“Nice! Got a bit of a kick, this one.”
“Yeah, it’s stronger than I thought it would be.”
“Yet that after-taste is kind of mellow.”
“Well, then … Michelle?”
“Hmm … I agree.”
Graham ended up pouring out bottle number three.
“Oh, that’s good. A very liveable wine.”
“My first thought was it was pretty average, but it lingers and it leaves rather a bigger impression than I thought.”
“Really, really pleasant.”
“Has to be Becca.”
“Agreed.”
The others turned to Ben, who smiled and threw down his pen.
“Well, this is kind of cheating! If we’re correct about the other three, then this bottle has to be Petra.”
“True, that.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t taste it.”
And they all finished off their glasses.
“So we’re agreed,” Tim said. “Jessica, Michelle, Becca and Petra, in that order.”
They nodded.
“So let’s see if we’re right. Gentlemen, stand up and place the bottles on your chairs.”
Once they had, Tim picked up the little stick that had been set beside him on the table. He wielded it in his right hand, then pointed it at bottle number one.
The bottle vanished in a flash of light, replaced by a smiling woman with black hair.
Becca.
Tim repeated the process with number two.
Jessica.
Bottle number three turned out to be Petra.
The final bottle became Michelle.
“So, boys,” Jessica drawled. “How did you do?”
Tim gave a dramatic sigh. “As you had predicted, my sweet, we did not identify any of you correctly.”
“Did you change the characteristics of the wine when you changed into them?” Will asked.
“Absolutely not,” Michelle said. “We played fair and square.”
“Which means,” Jessica smirked, “you lost the bet. So, hand over your wand, Tim.”
“Fair enough.” Tim gave her the wand and a minute later, four new bottles stood on the table.
“So, ladies,” Jessica announced. “Who’s for a beer tasting?”