A Dish of Love, Lies, and Demons

Ingredients:

·        1 young couple (one with intentions of proposing)

·        1 remote cabin by a lake (secluded, with a dark history)

·        1 diamond engagement ring (hopeful but doomed)

·        1 cursed object (hidden in plain sight)

·        A handful of secrets (deeply buried, but ready to rise)

·        1 ancient demon (ready to collect souls)

·        1 dark twist of fate (for flavor)

·        A pinch of betrayal (best when fresh)

·        1 final, chilling sacrifice (must be prepared carefully)

Preparation Time: 48 hours, though the emotional and psychological destruction may last forever.

Step 1: Prepare Your Couple

Start by preparing your couple carefully. You’ll want a man who is completely smitten and blissfully unaware of the woman's real motives. He has been saving up for months, planning the perfect proposal by the lake this weekend, fully convinced it will be the ideal setting for a life-changing moment. He is genuinely sweet, earnest, and a bit naïve.

For the woman, ensure you have someone who is calculated and ambitious. She has grown tired of pretending to love him, but her eyes are set on the prize: his money. She has been waiting for him to pop the question, not out of love, but out of greed. This secret must be hidden behind subtle glances and empty smiles, with just enough charm to keep the man fooled — for now.

Pro Tip: Keep the woman’s true feelings cloaked in charm and politeness, but let her irritation simmer beneath the surface. This tension will help build the emotional depth as the weekend progresses.

Step 2: Preheat the Cabin

Choose a secluded cabin by a lake, surrounded by dense woods and far from any neighbors. The cabin should be charming yet worn, exuding an atmosphere of quiet isolation. Its charm will serve as a distraction from the darkness that lurks within. Unbeknownst to the couple, the cabin has a dark history.

Sprinkle in a few unsettling details: the cabin creaking in the wind and strange carvings etched into the beams work best. These small touches will help set the mood for the terror to come. Initially, the couple will dismiss these signs, focusing on the weekend ahead, but the unease should gradually intensify as the evening wears on.

Step 3: Stir in the Cursed Object

Introduce the cursed object during a moment of curiosity. For best results, it should be a small, unassuming item tucked away in a dusty corner of the cabin — a figurine, an old locket, or a strange artifact left behind by the previous occupants. The man, feeling adventurous, picks it up without a second thought. The woman, distracted by her fantasies of wealth, doesn’t pay much attention.

This object holds the key to the cabin’s true nature. As soon as it is disturbed, the curse begins to activate, though neither of them realizes it yet. Let the object linger in the background, its presence growing heavier with each passing hour. Strange things will soon start to happen.

Pro Tip: The object should have an unsettling aura. Make it innocuous enough that the man thinks it’s just a harmless souvenir.

Step 4: Knead in Tension and Paranoia

As the night progresses, introduce strange occurrences: flickering lights, doors that open and close on their own, and whispers that neither of them can quite make out. These moments should build slowly, mirroring the rising tension in the woman’s act of pretending. She becomes increasingly frustrated with the man’s clumsy affection, although she conceals it behind a thin smile.

The man, meanwhile, senses her distance but attributes it to nerves. He plans to propose the following evening, and every small oddity in the cabin seems like just a fleeting distraction. However, deep down, a sense of unease begins to gnaw at him.

As the tension between them intensifies, so does the presence of the demon. This is where the cursed object begins to reveal its true power, distorting reality in subtle but horrifying ways. The woman catches a glimpse of a shadow darting past the window, while the man hears his name whispered from an empty room.

Pro Tip: Use the couple’s emotional disconnect to reflect the growing supernatural threat. As their relationship fractures, the curse should tighten its grip.

Step 5: Add the Revelation

The turning point occurs when the man accidentally overhears the woman on the phone. She believes he is asleep, but she is whispering to a friend about her plans—specifically, how she hopes he will propose soon so she can finally gain access to his wealth. She reveals that she has only stayed with him for his money and that the ring he is about to give her is her ticket out of a mundane life. This revelation should hit the man like a punch to the gut. His world is shattered. His perfect weekend, his perfect proposal, his perfect love—all a lie. But before he can confront her, the curse reaches its boiling point.

The demon is now fully awakened, feeding off the lies, greed, and betrayal. The cabin shakes, the lights flicker violently, and the cursed object glows with an otherworldly light. The couple is no longer alone.

Step 6: Simmer in Despair and Terror

As the demon’s presence becomes undeniable, the couple’s emotions spiral out of control. The woman, terrified by the growing supernatural threat, clings to the man, attempting to feign love and devotion. She hopes he will protect her, but the man has already seen through her facade.

The cabin warps around them; the walls seem to close in, shadows take on monstrous shapes, and the air grows thick with malice. The man is no longer the helpless fool who arrived at the cabin in love; he is now consumed by rage, bitterness, and betrayal. He knows that the only way to survive is to appease the demon.

Step 7: Sacrifice and Serve

In the final moments, the man makes his choice. The demon desires a soul, and he is not going to offer his. With cold determination, he lures the woman into the cabin's heart—a room where the cursed object sits, pulsating with dark energy.

She begs him to save her, still pretending to care, but he sees through every word. Without a second thought, he shoves her toward the cursed object, which devours her in a flash of darkness. Her screams echo in the cabin, and then silence falls.

The man is left alone. The demon is satisfied—for now. He takes the engagement ring from his pocket, looks at it one last time, and tosses it into the lake as he walks away from the cabin.

Serving Suggestion: Leave the man in silence as he returns to the city. He is free from the demon’s curse, but he carries the weight of his actions. The cabin remains, waiting for the next couple to arrive, the cursed object hidden once again, ready to consume another soul.

Bon appétit.