Inky's Midnight Mission

Inky was a shadow. A solid black fancy mouse, she was nearly invisible in the dim light of her nighttime activity. Her movements were silent and deliberate. She preferred the cover of darkness for her most serious work: rearranging her nest, testing the strength of cage bars, and solving puzzle feeders. By day, she was a sleepy lump in her hide. By night, she was a master of her domain. We would sometimes watch her with a red light (which mice can't see well). She was a study in focused, independent activity. The red light reveals nothing now but an empty, still landscape.