magisternihil's 100-word story for February 16, 2026

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on February 16, 2026. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

“I think I’ve found your problem!” shouted the man. I could barely hear him, and what I did hear had an odd echo. I had to admit to him I had never braved the crawlspace because it was so cramped and my claustrophobia made it impossible. “Is it what I thought? Some sort of animal den?” I heard his laugh. There was that echo again. “Worse than that,” he shouted. “Looks like you have an infestation of miners, or minors. Possibly both. It’s hard to tell. Sometimes the tags are the same. Either way, that would explain the beer smell.”

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