magisternihil's 100-word story for November 29, 2025

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on November 29, 2025. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

The poles went up one rainy November night. No one saw any work trucks. The next morning they were just there. Discussions sprang up, arguments over who was watching the footage, what they were watching for. “Are we safe even leaving our houses?” asked one neighbor. “Are we being targeted?” asked another. Others were less suspicious. “I’ll bet crime will drop to zero,” said a man wearing a large hat and sunglasses. The fact of the matter was they were simply there to gauge reaction, and once the city was burning it was decided they wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

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