In a world where 50% of the population can use magic, there existed an ordinary cast-iron frying pan. The pan had been owned and used to prepare meals the old fashioned way by six different sorcerers in its lifetime. Eventually, the sorcerers sold it either at yard sales or online. However, having been in the presence of so much magic for so long, the frying pan’s body absorbed magic little by little which over time caused it to gain sentience and not insubstantial magical abilities of its own. Its body, though, had been marred by use. It wasn’t a pretty cast-iron pan, but it did the job right.

The frying pan secured its current home in a non-magic-using family from the shelf of a charity sales store where a normal woman in jeans and pink sweater was browsing with a purse over her shoulder. After an instant of surprise and a few compliments later, the woman took the 10-lb piece of cooking equipment to the cashier at the front of the store and bought it.

The woman’s house was modest. She had a 16 years old son, a black-and-white cat that hissed at the frying pan, an orange cat that stared at the frying pan, and a husband who made disgusted faces at the frying pan whenever in the same room.

Within the first two weeks, the frying pan made itself at home. It established a relationship of respect with the orange cat and created a blind terror reaction in the black-and-white cat which developed a feral distrust of all kitchen equipment and therefore was banished from the kitchen.

With the woman’s cooperation, the frying pan delayed introductions to the other human family members for a couple of weeks. It wanted to observe them and make up its mind about them first. For example, it noticed that the son excelled at academics but didn’t like going to school, enjoyed creating art of all kinds and reading books; he didn’t bring friends over and never asked to go hang out with any. He was quiet but smart and quite clever, although easily overwhelmed by too much attention or arguing. The frying pan liked the kid.

The husband was another story.

One Sunday afternoon, the woman had put the frying pan and her favorite stock pot on the stove as she would use them to make dinner that evening. The husband walked into the kitchen with an empty mug in hand for a refill from the coffee maker.

The husband paused at the stove and bent for a closer look at the frying pan. “Holy hell,” he said with a sneer, “you are ugly.”

“You don’t wanna start this fight, pops,” said the frying pan. “Get your coffee and keep movin’.”

Flustered, Dad forgot the coffee and also forgot which exit to use, and so he left through the door to the garage since it was closest.

[to be continued…]

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Prompt: Frying pan defeats sorcerer and saves the world.

Source: The misinterpretation and miscommunication of a prompt from an online random plot generator