magisternihil's 100-word story for May 31, 2026

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on May 31, 2026. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

Some look at a task and think, “The quicker I start, the quicker I’m finished.” But not Uncle Rollo. He looks at any task as a challenge to be overcome with a mechanism designed for that purpose, for use now and gratefully in the future. “What is it?” I asked, staring at the rusty, metal monstrosity built with remnants of other machinery and parts taken from the house that would be missed. “Your mother asked me to wrap the gifts,” he replied as if stating the obvious. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the party was days ago.

Want to write flash fiction like this? Join the daily challenge at Hectalex.com and discover how powerful 100 words can be.