Secret from Coral Gate

Written by George Sanders

This is Lale and Erol. I'm Vaughn. We are just getting the fire at the right level for cooking. If you have something to add to the meal, we'll cook while you set up your tent." The friendly man looked familiar with the road.
His overgrown hair and a scratchy voice gave it away. Worn boots and patched clothes under a leather overcoat even more evidence. His companions around the fire also- they looked like they could blend into the forest at a moment's notice.
"Sure, I have some fruit and smoked sausage from Coral Gate in my pack." My pack clanged on the ground as it dismounted. Everything shifted again as I opened it.
"You have a pan or skillet in there? That would be awful better then skewering everything with sticks." The man was peering over my shoulder to look in my open pack.
"I guess you could use it." I handed the skillet to him as I pulled out a blanket and untied my bedroll. I didn't pack a tent, not enough time really.
"Oh, it's got some blood on it." He spat on it and started rubbing it with his fingers. "Where did that come from?"
"It's got a mind of its own and wacked a guard on the way out of Coral Gate. Just be nice to it and tell it what your are doing, shouldn't be a problem. It likes to cook and be of use." I pulled out a notebook and candle to use after dinner.
Vaughn must have run into animated objects before. He dove right into the part. "Ok there, ma'am or sir. We are just going to heat you up a bit."
Lale piped up from the other side of the fire, "How did you get such a pan?"
That was my que. You see as a writer and accomplished doer of misadventures, there was an elaborate story behind the pan. And, I would have shared it except those guards from Coral Gate tracked me down at that moment.
The rune to activate the pan was still on the table leg strapped to the side of my pack. I dove for it and reached it a second before the first guard.
I called out "Matilda!" as I summoned the pan.
The guard got to meet Matilda right as it hit him squarely between the eyes. The pan swirled around the space I called it to. Guards dodged and weaved while I grabbed my notebook and backpack.
"Sorry, I got to go." I called to Lale, Erol, and Vaughn. "Time to get back on the road."
After a dozen trees, the light of the campfire grew dim. That guards had been too busy to see me slip away. I hid behind a wide tree and added a line to my notebook.
"Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate"
Then put my hand up and called for "Matilda" before heading deeper into the forest.

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Thanks for reading my flash fiction! This story was part of the Storytelling Collective's 2024 Flash Fiction February Challenge. Get quick access to more flash fiction, poetry, novels, and ttrpg games built around my stories by joining my newsletter or following my world:

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