In a city that only appears on certain maps during specific phases of the moon, lives a man named Fex. Probably.

No one’s entirely sure of his real name. That’s because Fex collects them.

Not in a book. Not in a list. He keeps them — like you’d keep a pet or a houseplant or a heartbeat.

He doesn’t steal names. That would be impolite. People give them to him. Often without realizing.

They say it starts with a conversation — on a bus, in a stairwell, while returning a library book you don’t remember checking out.

Fex never asks anything personal. He just listens. And smiles. Tilts his head like a curious crow. And then, at the end, says:

“I’ll remember your name.”

And you say, without thinking:

“Take it.”

You walk away feeling lighter. Disoriented. A little freer. Until someone asks who you are — and your mind skips, like a scratched record.

It doesn’t hurt. You just . . . don’t know. You remember your job, your cat, your shoe size. But not the word that once meant you.

And in the top-floor apartment of a building that’s only visible in reflections, Fex writes your name on a glass seed and drops it into a tank of thick, shimmering liquid. The seed floats for a moment, then sinks, glowing.

The tank is full of them. Thousands. All humming faintly. Some twitch when Fex walks by, like they’re trying to speak again.

Why does he collect them? No one knows.

Some say he’s trying to build a perfect person from borrowed selves. Others believe he’s saving the names from fading, giving them shelter after their owners forget how to carry them.

Once, a girl tracked him down, furious, shaking with lost identity. She demanded her name back.

Fex smiled, a little sadly, and opened a smaller tank in the corner. Inside, just one seed glowed: hers.

He handed it to her gently.

She held it. And then began to scream.

Because the name was wrong. It wasn’t hers anymore. It didn’t fit. It smelled like someone else’s breath.

Fex apologized.

“Sometimes,” he said softly, “they change in the water.”

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© Secret Agent Man
info@secretagentman.net