magisternihil's 100-word story for March 18, 2026

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on March 18, 2026. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

The old man next door wrote daily, several times a day, for hours on end. Since the walls between our apartments were thin, that meant the peace of our home was shattered in spurts by the gunshot hammering of the keys creating a cacophony not unlike a bucket of marbles dumped down wood stairs. I hated it at first, would grumble every time the noise began. “How many words this time, Mr. Stoymaker?” I would growl to myself. “How many can there be?” But now he’s fallen ill, and I would give anything to hear that cascade of marbles again.

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