magisternihil's 100-word story for January 5, 2026

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on January 5, 2026. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

Merle likes to land on fence posts and, if necessary, call out to get the attention of any human’s nearby. It was such a rush to watch them try to work out what his arrival meant. At the very least he could start an argument between two of them over which bird he was. It was fun to listen to their reasoning and shift his form to propel the fight. At worst, they thought he brought death, which was just rich, because they were plenty good at bringing it themselves. He’s just a bird. Don’t pin your hangups on him.

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