The Fiery Feast

    By Storybird

    The Fiery Feast cover image

    17 Aug, 2023

    Violet woke with a start, feeling disoriented as she found herself in a large cauldron. "Wake up, Violet," she heard a sinister voice bellowing. It was Beelzebub, the demon king.

    "Where am I?" Violet stammered, her gaze darting around the hellish landscape. Beelzebub chuckled, "You're in Hell, dear. More specifically, our kitchen."

    "Kitchen?" Violet echoed, her heart pounding. "Yes," Beelzebub explained, "and we're preparing a special dish, named after you, my dear."

    Violet smiled, misinterpreting his words. "I'm cooking? That sounds fun." Beelzebub laughed heartily, "No, Violet. You are the dish!"

    The color drained from Violet's face as she tried to escape, but an invisible force prevented her from fleeing. Beelzebub hummed a morbid song about cooking Violet.

    Suddenly, a lesser demon named Garg, approached Beelzebub. "May I poke and prod her, sire?" he asked, holding a large, metal spear.

    Beelzebub nodded in approval. As Garg moved towards Violet, Beelzebub added lyrics related to Garg's actions to his eerie tune. Violet trembled in fear.

    Violet did her best to evade Garg's spear, her panic-stricken cries echoing in the cavernous kitchen. Beelzebub just continued his gruesome song, thoroughly amused.

    As Garg prodded and poked, Beelzebub announced with glee, "Our special dish tonight would be 'Violet au Vin', a fiery feast!" Violet's tears blurred her vision.

    Anxiety surged through Violet. She was trapped, and her options were dwindling by the second. Beelzebub's laughter echoed through the kitchen as he stirred the cauldron.

    Beelzebub saw Violet's despair and leaned in. "There's no use running, dear Violet. Embrace your fate. You're the main event of tonight's feast."

    Beelzebub's words struck Violet like a sledgehammer. But in the midst of her terror, a small spark of resolve ignited within her. She was not going down without a fight.

    "I won't be your dinner," Violet asserted, her voice shaking but determined. The demon king chuckled, not expecting any resistance from the frail human.

    Unfazed, Beelzebub continued his song, adding verses about Violet's brave defiance. Meanwhile, Violet was planning her escape, her courage growing with each passing moment.

    As Garg approached again, Violet lashed out, surprising the demon and earning herself a small window of opportunity. She needed to act fast.

    With all her strength, Violet managed to tip the cauldron, sending a wave of fiery liquid towards Beelzebub. The demon king roared in surprise.

    As chaos ensued, Violet made her move, running as fast as she could away from the horrified demons. Garg chased after her, shouting in dismay.

    Beelzebub, recovering from the shock, joined the pursuit. Yet, surprising even herself, Violet managed to keep ahead, fueled by sheer adrenaline.

    Violet spotted a door in the distance. Without a second thought, she sprinted towards it. Behind her, Beelzebub and Garg's footsteps echoed ominously.

    As she neared the door, she hoped against hope that it was an exit. Violet pushed through it, praying that this nightmare would finally end.

    What met Violet on the other side was not the freedom she sought. Instead, she found herself in another kitchen, this one even larger than the first.

    Violet froze momentarily, overwhelmed by the cruel twist of fate. But hearing the enraged demons closing in, she shook herself and continued to run.

    Just as she thought she was cornered, Violet spotted a dumbwaiter. With a quick decision, she jumped in, pulling the door shut just as the demons burst in.

    As the dumbwaiter ascended, Violet could hear the demons' enraged cries fade. Safety was within reach. She held her breath, hoping she had finally escaped.

    Finally, the dumbwaiter came to a halt. Violet tentatively peeked out, finding herself in a different landscape, far away from the demons and their horrific feast.

    Violet collapsed in relief. She was safe. Though the ordeal had been terrifying, she had somehow managed to escape becoming a fiery feast for the demons.

    Back in Hell's kitchen, Beelzebub and Garg stared at the empty dumbwaiter, their dinner plan foiled. They were left with nothing but the faint echo of their meal's name: Violet.

    Violet sat a safe distance away, her heart still pounding. She had cheated death, at least for now. She was no one's feast. Her resolve had saved her.

    Taking one last look at her terrifying past, Violet turned her back to the demonic kitchen and her near fate as a demon's dinner. She had survived the fiery feast.

    So, Violet moved forward, leaving behind the horrors of Hell's kitchen. She was a survivor, not a meal. And that was something worth smiling about.