magisternihil's 100-word story for August 26, 2025

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on August 26, 2025. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

Tyler sighed. The first day of training on the ranch held so many possibilities, he knew, but he worried he wouldn’t grasp things quickly enough. This was a cutthroat world he was entering. If he couldn’t master the tricks, he wouldn’t make it. He dreaded going home and telling his parents he didn’t have what it took. The long, mournful wail of a rubber chicken split the silence, interrupting his thoughts. He adjusted his suspenders, checked his flower, and turned to see the group walking toward him, their colorful trousers breaking the grey of the morning. Clown school had begun.

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