Blonde Roof Rat

Ten Thousand Reps

Tales from the Mischief presents

Ten Thousand Reps

A brown agouti roof rat in side profile perched on the black padded seat-back of a home gym machine, forepaws over the front edge and long tail draped down.The colony fitness committee convenes at dawn, as is tradition, and as is also tradition, attendance is me.
A roof rat perched on the black seat-back of a tall cable gym machine whose curved arms spread out above it like wings, its long tail hanging straight down.The machine has opinions about my form. The machine has been spoken to.
A roof rat on a black gym-machine seat-back with its head lowered over the front edge and long tail hanging down, the machine frame rising behind it.FOUR REPS. Four glorious reps. Someone alert a historian.
A roof rat on the black seat-back of a large gym machine that looms overhead, with a blank monitor and shopping bags in the background.The Rest faction has been asleep since Tuesday and just declared victory through a yawn. THROUGH A YAWN.
A roof rat lying relaxed and stretched out along the top of a black padded gym-machine seat-back, tail draped down.Between us, the counter says forty. Between us, I am rounding generously.
A small roof rat on a black gym-machine seat-back, the machine's curved arms spread wide above it and household clutter off to the side.TEN THOUSAND REPS. The machine wept. I also wept, briefly, with dignity.
Muttly, a yellow labrador, shoves her nose right up to the camera with her tongue out, a goofy extreme close-upMuttly was not briefed, attended nothing, lifted nothing, and is somehow the only one who needs a sit down. Good girl.
A roof rat in close side profile on a black gym-machine seat-back, looking down over the edge.Muttly is resting on my behalf.
Tales from the Mischief. A new sketch on Sundays.
Roof rats really are athletes. They are lean, agile climbers that spend the night on the move, far more active than their ground-dwelling Norway cousins.[1]
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References

  • [1] Shiels AB, Pitt WC, Sugihara RT, Witmer GW. “Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 11.Rattus rattus,the Black Rat (Rodentia: Muridae).” Pacific Science 2014;68(2):145-184. DOI.