"In all my life, I have never met any woman like her. She's an enigma I can never figure out, but shes MY enigma MY Niecy." These are the words Fidget speaks to describe London's Parisian belle (and his beloved wife), Deniece la Chauve-souris, because she has a spark that could compare with no other. Deniece is refined like the swan, yet brash like the hen. She is coy like the dove, yet brazen like the crow. She is the rose on display that pricks unwelcome hands with thorns (particularly ruffian men who try to take advantage of her). Deniece's nature is a mixture of personality traits, each one just as indomitable as the other. This serves her well when she helps Basil of Baker Street with his crime-solving cases by playing the showgirl to lure criminals into a trap. And when she sings, Deniece's rich and dramatic voice casts a spell that moves an audience to tears. It is simply no wonder why Fidget calls her an enigma. That is EXACTLY what she is.

Deniece la Chauve-souris was born April 4, 1875 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris and was baptized in St. Denis as Deniece Genevieve Magritte. She was the sole daughter of Belgian painter, Jean Magritte, and Moroccan healer/nurse, Hedwige Rousseau, both adventurers by nature. Like her parents, young Deniece shared the same sense of adventure. This allowed her many traveling opportunities with her parents while never leaving their side. One place in particular was London, England. Unfortunately, Deniece and her parents only made it as far as Big Ben during this trip. As the Magritte family was passing by, a mob of escaped criminals emerged. One of them took hold of Deniece and demanded Jean Magrittes paintings in exchange for her life. But young Deniece bit her captors arm, causing him to let go. Her parents then decided to distract the mob while allowing her to fly for her life. Deniece flew to the top of Big Ben and remained safe, away from the mobs view. But her parents were killed. Deniece was overcome by horror. She realized that she was now alone and stuck in London.

As in many places, bats were not viewed kindly by the rodent folk of London. Young Deniece found herself on the streets, cold, hungry, and homeless. She was forced to beg in order to find shelter. Instead, she found rejection and scorn. Not only were the mice-folk unkind, renouncing her as a demon (as most bats were), but ruffians prowled the streets at night, some of which Deniece encountered (she was severely beaten and almost didnt escape). Life on the streets left no time for Deniece to mourn, as she was forced to defend herself to the best of her ability. It wasn't until one night when a middle-aged mouse couple by the name of Peters encountered Deniece. Frightened by what had happened to her, Deniece almost attacked Mr. Peters when he came close to her. Once she began to realize that he had no intentions of harming her, Deniece flung herself in his arms, crying and mourning. Mr. Peters told his wife that the girl ought to stay with them until she was better. Mrs. Peters didnt like the idea of a bat-child living in their house (she thought that bat-children were vicious by nature). Mr. Peters on the other hand, explained that Denieces vicious approach was only out of self-defense because she had suffered enough. Although Mrs. Peters wasn't fully convinced, she decided to go along with her husbands plan. Deniece was brought to a house on Addington Street, where the Peters lived. Mr. Peters dressed her wounds (he was a doctor by profession) and provided her with the bedroom in the attic. Two weeks had passed and Denieces wounds were healed. However, Mr. Peters could never find it in his heart to throw Deniece out on the streets again. He then told his wife that they ought to adopt Deniece as their own child. Mrs. Peters did not want a bat for a child. She still believed that bat-children were vicious and would become more so when they grow up. But Mr. Peters explained that Deniece was just a child and had no vicious bone in her body. The two argued over the matter for a while, but eventually Mr. Peters got his wish and Deniece was adopted.

Little by little, Deniece became acquainted with her new house and felt right at home. Deniece became close friends with the Peters Scottish terrier, Copernicus, and very close to her new foster father. But Deniece didnt speak (or understand) a word of English and had a bit of trouble communicating with her new parents. At first, she learned to communicate with hand-gestures and facial expressions. If Deniece was hungry, she pointed inside her mouth. If she wanted something, she tugged on Mr. Peters sleeve and pointed to (or placed her hand on) what she wanted. This method seemed to serve Deniece well in the beginning. Still, Mr. Peters felt that it was essential for her to learn English. He began to search for a tutor who would help Deniece. To his luck, he ran into a friend of his who was well-educated, a Welsh priest from Westminster Abbey. This priest was Father Richards and he took fancy to young Denieces kindly appearance. When Mr. Peters explained to him all that happened, Richards told him that he was more than glad to help Deniece. Mr. Peters felt assured and allowed Father Richards to do his part. Although Deniece struggled at times, she learned the language pretty fast. Father Richards also educated her in the basic studies, such as history, science, literature, etc. To his surprise and delight, Deniece proved to be a very precocious girl who enjoyed learning very much, especially the sciences (it is possible that Deniece's interest in becoming a nurse started here). Aside from books, Deniece loved music. She often crept into the sanctuary to hear the human choir sing at the stalls. This contributed to Deniece's musical inspirations. Father Richards then convinced Deniece to join the mouse choir that was held every Tuesday night, and she did.

At the same time, Deniece also attended a public secondary school. Her love of books and learning were greatly expressed in school as they were with Father Richards. Unfortunately, many of her fellow mice students were not impressed with her talents. It made the boys uncomfortable as well as the girls jealous. Deniece's precocious nature was taunted by the other students. She was sometimes called a stuck-up snob because of her love of books (though it was most likely because they didnt want a bat to be smarter than mice). Deniece pretended as if nothing bothered her by presenting her fellow students with a challenging question, such as There are mice who like to learn just as much as I do; why should a bat be different? This only made students taunt her even more. In reality, their scornful remarks hurt Deniece and made her feel like an outcast. There were times when Deniece came home in tears because of this (she often looked to Mr. Peters for comfort since Mrs. Peters wasnt completely trustful of her). Deniece was also ridiculed for other little things, such as her French accent and out-spoken approach when she saw other students being ridiculed. One of them in particular was a shy mouse girl named Raisa Lee Dalton, a.k.a. Laci (because she wore dresses with lacey collars and hems). This was how Deniece and Laci became friends. Aside from the occasional troubles at school, Deniece had a happy childhood. She was very close to Mr. Peters and learned to be tolerant of Mrs. Peters (secretly Mrs. Peters loved the child, but most often, she was too proud to show it). But in 1887, Denieces life began to change.

One night, the Peters dog, Copernicus, was trampled on and killed by horses that were pulling a hansom (Copernicus had playfully stole Deniece's beret to get her to chase him). The loss of Copernicus grieved Deniece, but this was only the beginning. Two years later, Deniece lost her foster father to a heart attack. She became more devastated than ever that she went into withdrawal. Mrs. Peters (who pretended to be cautious of Deniece for so long) realized that she was wrong about her. Mrs. Peters apologized to Deniece for being a fool. Understanding her foster mothers, Deniece forgave Mrs. Peters. From that moment on, the two decided to help each other out through good times and bad. By the time she turned fifteen in 1890, Deniece and her foster mother were going through financial problems. Deniece knew she had to find work somehow in order to help maintain financial stability. However, most employers in mousedom were unwilling to hire a bat and turned Deniece down. But the young lady bat was not ready to give up. With great persistence, Deniece finally got her first job as a librarian at the British Library (which was part of the British Museum). With her newfound job, Deniece was able to help Mrs. Peters maintain the finances. But since Deniece was practically a woman, she began to face a new conflict.

As a grown woman, Deniece was beautiful beyond compare (more so than many female mice). But too often, her beauty attracted the wrong people. There were times when Deniece encountered strange men who thought she was an easy woman to trap. But Deniece was not a fool. She saw right through them and turned them down without a second thought. Some of the men were surprised by her response and left her alone. But there were some who were extremely persistent and would not take no for an answer. Deniece responded by kicking them in the shins and flying away as quickly as possible. She knew she had to find clever ways of losing her pursuers. Since Deniece was keen of hearing, she would overhear some talk about sneaking behind to capture her. She pretended as if she noticed nothing, allowing the men to run toward her. But before they would get to her, Deniece jumped off the ground and flew. This took the men by surprise, causing them to trip and fall while Deniece made her escape. At first, her method worked well and Deniece was clever in losing her pursuers. But one night when she was on her way home, she spotted her friend Laci being tackled her by a group of ruffian mice. Deniece intervened by throwing rocks at them to grab their attention. She goaded the mob into chasing her instead in order get Laci to make her escape. As she was being chased, Deniece attempted to fly away before the ruffians could catch up with her. But as soon as she lifted her feet off the ground, one of the mice grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down. Deniece struggled to free herself, but there were too many of them. She was then pinned down, tackled, and raped. Deniece screamed for someone to come to her aide, but no one came. She was about to lose hope when a Scottish police-mouse by the name of Constable Smith came into the scene and chased the ruffians away (Laci had run into him just as she was making her escape and told him that Deniece was in trouble). Deniece's clothes were torn and her right knee was sprained. Constable Smith helped her on her feet and asked her to explain what happened. Deniece told the constable of her problems with men pursuing her and the situation between the ruffian mice and her friend, Laci. Constable Smith thought that it wasnt right for a female to be alone by herself and decided to escort both Deniece and Laci back to their homes (it was this moment when Smith and Deniece became friends).

Because she had endured many hardships, Deniece learned to channel her feelings through song (after all, she was a part of Father Richardss choir at Westminster Abbey). One night (after all members of the choir left), Deniece decided to stay behind and sing a French song called Ma Premiere Chanson (a song that her blood mother used to sing) to make her feel better. The organ was played by a new Swedish nun named Sister Ingrid. Little did Deniece realize that a client from The Mousedemonium Theatre (part of the humans Whitehall Theatre), a mouse by the name of William Horace, watched and listened to her from below the organ loft. Once she had finished, Deniece received a surprising applause from him. Horace told Deniece that he was looking for someone who had a swan-like voice for the role of Liesel von Schultz in See You in Vienna, a comedic Opera about a rich Austrian mouse who fell in love with a common rat (which was supposed to be a play on Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream). Deniece wasnt too keen on the idea of becoming an actress, but Horace believed that she had a certain spark and persuaded her to think about it. Deniece then decided to take Horaces advice and consider the matter. It didnt take too long before she made her decision to audition for the role. Although Deniece had to undergo the humiliation of being made to look like a mouse, her performance was a success. Because the audience fell in love with her voice, the manager wanted Deniece to continue working at The Mousedemoninum Theatre. She quit her job at the British Library and thus her career as a singer/actress began.

Following See You in Vienna in 1891, Deniece played the title character in Carmen, a French Opera by Georges Bizet about a frivolous gypsy who manipulates the handsome Don Juan into becoming her man. Denieces convincing performance of the role dazzled the audience and made them beg to see more of her. In 1892, Deniece starred in a theatrical performance of Orlando Gibbons Madrigals and Motets in which she played The Swan of Athens in Act II: The Silver Swan. Deniece was taught how to dance ballet for the role. Her incomparable beauty became more prominent as the swan, which left audience and fellow actors awestruck. Other roles include Carolina in When in Rome, Do As the Romans Do, Portia in Julius Caesar, and many other dramatic and comedic plays that followed. Despite being a bat, Deniece's rich, mezzo-soprano voice captivated the hearts of many rodents. She was often referred to as The Bat with the voice of a Bird, thus she earned the title name Deniece la Chauve-souris (literally translated as The Bat). Even in mediocre plays, Denieces presence lit up the stage. But despite all the glittering praise she received, Denieces life outside the stage remained unchanged. She was still pursued by men of ill-will and had to come up with new clever methods of losing them. Even when Deniece met a man in her life, the relationship proved to be very short. One of them was Roland DAvignon, another Parisian-born bat who also worked at The Mousedemonium Theatre (he was her dancing partner in Madrigals and Motets). At first, Deniece loved him and was under the impression that DAvignon loved her back. But she eventually learned that D'Avignon was flirtatious and didn't take women seriously. Deniece broke off the relationship. Other relationships followed, but each one proved even more deceitful than the last. And then, something terrible began to happen.

Mrs. Peters, suddenly developed a bad cough. At first, Mrs. Peters dismissed it as the dust she inhaled from dusting the shelves. But, Deniece noticed that Mrs. Peters looked pale and flushed. She insisted that Mrs. Peters get some rest while she took care of the household chores herself. Unfortunately, Mrs. Peterss symptoms got worse. Not only did her coughing become constant, but she also started losing weight. Deniece realized that something wasnt right. Despite her foster mothers stubborn insistence, Deniece went out to fetch a doctor. It didnt take long before she returned home with a mouse named Dr. Robert Hemingway. After examining her foster mother, Dr. Hemingway concluded that Mrs. Peters was ill with tuberculosis. She only had about a week left to live. Deniece decided to take the week off work. She stayed by her foster mothers side and comforted her by reading her stories. On May 7, 1893, Mrs. Peters passed away.

Although she was already accustomed to death, the loss of her foster mother grieved Deniece. But what was worse was that The Mousedemonium Theatre closed down permanently due to lack of funds. She was forced to find another job. This led her the role as the show bat in The Rat Trap, the only place left in mousedom that dared allowed bats to work (and to her surprise, her friend Laci worked there as a beautician). Like The Mousedemonium Theatre, Denieces presence dazzled her audience. But her offstage life was a different story. Her fellow show mice became jealous of Denieces popularity with the male audience and taunted her for it. And like her experiences as a librarian and actress, Denieces beauty attracted many ruffian men in which she had to rely on her clever wits to throw them off track. Although this method worked most of the time, she sometimes encountered drunken men after getting off the stage. In cases such as these, Deniece responded in a clear and direct manner that she had no interest in them whatsoever. Most often, these men would not take her seriously and Deniece learned to use her physical strength and fight her away out of the situation (Deniece was a very strong woman). The more this happened, the less she liked her job. But her mind was at ease when Laci offered to walk with her back home (since Laci was very grateful to Deniece for saving her life, she thought it was right to return the favor). Deniece was simply surviving each day, which looked as if they would remain stagnant. But on the night of July 5, 1897, something happened that Deniece had not planned on.

As she stopped by to gaze at the Thames River, Deniece spotted a small bat who fell from a dirigible into the river. On a whim, she rescued the victim from drowning. When she brought the bat to safety, Deniece noticed that the bat was in terrible shape and looked rather ill. Without a second thought, Deniece generously brought him back home to nurse him back to health (this bat was none other than Fidget himself, cohort to Professor Ratigan). But Fidget did not express any gratitude for Denieces generosity. Instead he expressed irritable and childish behavior toward her. For many weeks, she had to put up with his uncooperative behavior and often had Laci to look after him while she was at work. But one night, Deniece received news from Constable Smith that Laci had been killed by Ratigans crewmembers. The loss of her friend devastated Deniece, leaving Fidget as her only company left. Although she was too proud to admit her grief to a man, she found herself in need of Fidget to comfort her (and surprisingly, he did). A seed friendship between the two bats was planted and it began to grow.

As her way of expressing gratitude to her new friend, Deniece introduced Fidget to a lifestyle very different from his own. She took him on outings to her favorite spots (such as St. James Park and the rooftops of London) while confiding in him about the secret aspects of her life. She even took him to Westminster Abbey, where she introduced him to Father Richards. As for Fidget, he was both troubled and spellbound by Deniece's presence. Secretly, the two bats fell in love with each other, but neither one was brave enough to admit it. But one night as Deniece came by to offer him tea and muffins, Fidget revealed to her his true identity, his past crimes, and his connection with Professor Ratigan. Deniece was dumbfounded and angered by the news. The two bats got in a quarrel which left both bats emotionally hurt. Fidget stormed out of the house in anger. At first, Deniece responded by shielding her hurt with an arrogant pride. But after three days of her friends absence, Deniece became so worried about that she couldnt bare it anymore. She set out to find him (but not without reporting it to Constable Smith first). But along the way, Deniece ran into a group of ruffians who were once crewmembers of Professor Ratigan. Because they heard her mention Fidgets name, the mice considered Deniece a threat. She attempted to escape by flying away until one of the ruffians fired a gunshot, hitting her in the left shoulder. A wounded Deniece fell to the ground, and she couldnt fly. Nevertheless, she didnt intend on letting that stop her. Deniece lifted herself to her feet and ran. Since her legs were strong and sturdy, she managed to keep a good distance from the mob. However, the loss of blood from her shoulder weakened Deniece and caused her to slow down. The mob eventually caught up with her at the foot of Big Ben and held her hostage. They threw her down, tore off her clothes, and threatened to kill her if she didnt tell them how she knew about Fidget. Luckily for Deniece, her friend just happened upon the situation and was willing to protect her (even at the cost of his own life). The fight took place and Fidget won. At that time, Constable Smith appeared. Deniece was then carried back to her home on Addington Street by the constable; her worrisome boyfriend followed behind. The constable called Dr. Hemingway and asked him to come right away. The two men managed to clot the blood that trickled from Denieces wounded shoulder with a rag until the doctor arrived. Dr. Hemingway succeeded in pulling out the bullet and bandaging her shoulder. He informed the constable and Fidget that Deniece lost a lot of blood and was very weak. Nevertheless, she was lucky that the bullet did not hit a fatal area and that the wound was treated before she lost anymore blood. The doctor did mention that she needed to eat plenty of rare-cooked meat and get plenty of rest. This was a relief to Fidget, as he claimed that he would never forgive himself if his only friend had died. Constable Smith allowed the ex-pirate to visit with Deniece before taking him to the police station. Fidget apologized to her for everything that happened and confessed his love for her. Because she felt grateful for her friends selfless deed and honesty, Deniece forgave him and confessed her love in return.

Deniece spent nearly three weeks of bed rest. Dr. Hemingway and Constable Smith looked after her while her fiance spent time in prison. After Deniece recovered, the constable sent her to 221 Baker Street, where she would be under the care of Basil. Little did she know that all her talents and skills would play a major part in the life of the detective.

During Basils pursuit for the kidnapper of Baroness Agatha Marblestone, Deniece demonstrated her acting skills when she went in the disguise of a flirtatious Cockney girl and coaxed the butler into giving away important information (actually, she had snuck out of the flat against Basil's will). Although the detective himself didnt approve of her getting involved, he was enthralled by Denieces talents and realized that they would prove useful to him. She helped Basil solve the case in locating the kidnappers hiding place, finding Baroness Marblestone, and putting an end to the culprits deeds. Denieces brave deed was immensely congratulated by the Baroness herself. She was rewarded with ten thousand pounds by Baron Marblestone, which kept her financially stable. Ever since then, Deniece had become a second partner to Basil, next to Dr. Dawson. Other cases she participated with the detective include the discovery of Edan Pembroke, the downfall of Benjamin B. Todd, and the decline of Les Seours Vampire (The Vampire Witch Sisters). As for her friend Fidget, Denieces relationship with him became stronger than ever. In March 2, 1900, the two bats were married. Deniece bore her first child, Jeanette, in 1902 and Finnius Jr. four years later.

Denieces strong, larger-than-life personality has made her an icon in mousedom history and an enigma in Fidgets mind. The title la Chauve-souris still remains as part of her famous name as it represents respect for the good people and fear for the offenders.

References:

• Author unknown. Barbra Streisand. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. February 7, 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Streisand
• Author unknown. "A Parisian in America." The Center. 2001. The Wang Center for the Performing Arts. January 17, 2005 http://www.wangcenter.org/lcaron.html
• Dale, Steve. Barbra Streisand. All-Time Favorite Movie Stars. Publications International, Ltd., 1986.

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