magisternihil's 100-word story for September 28, 2025

magisternihil wrote the following micro-story on Hectalex on September 28, 2025. Each story on Hectalex is inspired by a daily visual prompt and must be exactly 100 words.

Mitch always heard people lost in the desert would see water, only to find it’s a trick of the brain. Leave it to me, he thought, to imagine a massive spool of tubing instead of something useful. He reached the spool, expecting it to disappear in a cloud of dust when he touched it, and felt the rough wood beneath his hands. Then he heard the rumble of the approaching truck. “Sir, you can’t be out here,” shouted a man from the cab, “It’s a work site.” Mitch snapped awake, instantly annoyed that his fever dreams were so utterly pointless.

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