The Flavershams' Encounter with Fidget

The night Olivia Flaversham and her father celebrated her birthday in his toyshop before the Queen’s diamond jubilee, she had turned ten. All of a sudden, the Flavershams heard somebody banging on their door. In that very moment, Mr. Flaversham scooped her up, hid her in the cupboard, and brought out his weapon: boxing gloves!

Olivia watched as her father and the stranger battle each other. She saw a bat try to take her father away, but Mr. Flaversham was too quick for the bat to be swept away. So, the mouse punched the bat in the face with his boxing gloves, causing the cursed bat to land on the ground, unconscious. At least, it would put a lot of sense into that dastardly bat. “Olivia, you can come out now,” Mr. Flaversham said to his daughter, “It’s safe now.”

“What are we going to do now, Daddy?” Olivia asked.

“I don’t know, but let’s see if this bat wakes up and starts talking,” he whispered, holding a flashlight and switched it on.

“Daddy, I’m scared.”

“Shh, I know. I am, too.”

Together, the two mice trudged onward to the bat, who was stirring, regaining consciousness. The girl’s father had shone the flashlight in his face, eying the recovering creature to see what he looked like in person.

“Ah! Don’t do that! It hurts my eyes!” complained the bat.

Mr. Flaversham turned the flashlight off. “Start talking,” he commanded.

“What do you want me to say?” the confused bat asked.

“First, state your name.”

“Uh…Fidget,” the bat said simply.

“What do you want me for, Fidget?” Mr. Flaversham demanded.

“My boss, Ratigan wanted me to take you so that he’ll have you build the robot that looks like the queen to get rid of the real queen,” Fidget answered.

“Why can’t somebody else do it?” Mr. Flaversham retorted suspiciously, “I’ll never double-cross the queen!”

“I don’t know,” Fidget said, with a shrug.

“How would you like it if your parent and/or you got taken away?” Mr. Flaversham countered.

“Look, I’m sorry!” Fidget wailed, mournfully, “Ratigan wanted me to do this, so I don’t get abused by him!”

“So, what kind of abuse does he give you?” Olivia bravely asked in an observant voice.

“Feeding me to his dumb old cat, Felicia,” Fidget continued, dismal, “That’s what he does to people he no longer wants. I’ll make a deal with you here. How about I quit listening to my boss, but I won’t tell him I’m with you two? Deal?”

Mr. Flaversham and his daughter hesitated by exchanging uncertain looks with each other, hoping the bat was telling the truth for his sake. Then they turned to Fidget with long looks. “Deal!” the Flavershams affirmed finally.

“Good. Where will I sleep tonight?” asked Fidget, “Because I don’t want Ratigan to find out where I am.”

“You can sleep in my room,” Mr. Flaversham announced, “That way, I’ll keep an eye on you. Is that clear?”

Fidget nodded in acceptance.

Mr. Flaversham sighed and led him in there, adding, “You must have been very drowsy.”

Again, Fidget didn’t say anything, he nodded earnestly.

“Goodnight, Fidget!” Olivia called, “Goodnight father.”

“Goodnight, Olivia,” her father said.

“Goodnight, toots,” Fidget said after Olivia.

Once inside Mr. Flaversham’s room, Fidget climbed onto Mr. Flaversham’s closet door and soon drifted off to sleep, while Mr. Flaversham locked all the doors, closed windows and curtains, and went to bed.

...

The next morning, Mr. Flaversham stepped out of his room, while Fidget still slept.

All of a sudden, Fidget was jerking in his sleep. That was when Olivia stepped in and whispered, shaking him awake, “Fidget, it’s wake up time!”

Right on time, Fidget was awake and opened his eyes, delighted to see that Olivia set him free from his wretched and horrid nightmare.

“Thanks, girly,” Fidget said, climbing down the closet. When he reached the bottom, he added, “There’s something I need to tell you and your dad.”

...

Fidget explained what his issue was during breakfast at the Flavershams’ table. Clearing his throat, he emphasized, “Last night, I had a nightmare about Ratigan feeding me to Felicia.”

“That was why I came in this morning to check on you,” Olivia pointed out.

“I was happy you did,” said Fidget with a nod.

Right then, they heard a thundering knock. “Kids hide!” Mr. Flaversham ordered, “I’ll take care of this once and for all.” Olivia and Fidget hid inside the cupboard, the same one she hid in last night while Mr. Flaversham got out his boxing gloves once again.

It was Ratigan who bolted inside. He was raging mad, wondering where Fidget was and where he was hiding. Coolly, Ratigan said, “I was wondering what had taken Fidget so long to get you. You must have been difficult to catch.”

“Indeed, I was,” Mr. Flaversham said steadily.

“The queen’s jubilee is tonight.”

“So? I don’t want to betray the queen!” Mr. Flaversham retorted.

“We’ll see how you’ll go through me,” Ratigan sneered, drawing out his bell from his breast shirt.

In the nick of time, Fidget staggered out, alongside Olivia because they couldn’t stand to see Mr. Flaversham struggling with a rat.

“Oh, Fidget, it’s nice to see you out and about,” Ratigan said as he put away his bell, “What took you?”

“I never wanted any of this to happen!” the fearless bat growled, “More importantly, you treating me like a child by hiding everything from me and breaking promises and most of all, your freaking abuse!”

“Is that so?” Ratigan cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Listen, I know you want me back, but this time, you can’t have me, you selfish, hideous rat!”

Ratigan was apparently aghast by all this.

“My turn, Fidget, thank you,” Mr. Flaversham whispered, nudging him gently aside, “Look Ratigan, don’t you see? He’s had it with criminal activities as well as he’s had it with YOU and your beatings!”

“Daddy, can we call the police?” Olivia whispered to her father.

“Of course, we can, Olivia dear,” Mr. Flaversham whispered back to his daughter and picked up the phone and called Basil of Baker Street. Basil for sure would arrest that notorious rat, yet Basil wasn’t alone. After Basil hired a portly gentleman named Dr. Dawson that spent many years in Afghanistan, Basil was determined to believe that the doctor was a good worker. With Ratigan’s interrogation being resolved, Ratigan was arrested and Fidget lived happily and safely with the devoted Flavershams.

The End

*The idea of Mr. Flaversham using the boxing gloves in self-defense was based on my mother’s.

*I was told by Reyelene that the scene where Fidget beat up Mr. Flaversham was out of false energy: rage and insecurity. Rage, because the people he was imprisoned by were filled with hatred, and insecurity, because he had no other way, but to mend his disability, for he was an outcast among bats because he couldn't fly, and because Ratigan made him do all the tasks and didn't expose among his other employees. So, that puts a damper on Fidget, which would only consume him of any energy he has left because there is no stability of powers at all.

*Because Fidget had a disability, it didn't stop him from beating up Mr. Flaversham as mentioned on Villains Wiki. Fidget's wings are like boxing gloves! However, Fidget had to be careful how he’d use his strength with his wings. For example, his confrontation with Felicia when he tried to get away, but she picked him up, chewing on his wings, though he was doing his very best to remain cautious on those sorts of things.