Todd was digging through the trash bin,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeM6ZlvWh0
pulling out a few newspapers—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCA66wsuZ9
but they were too damaged.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgN9H2z7Wa
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IVQH3AsC1
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSeiOeH8pF
Todd frowned as he searched,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tC2NdEeHd
his fingers long since used to the grime.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpB0JjL8gJA
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8moJMoloN
Her movements were much gentler than his.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJjRxJ9Fnq
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1liydfepZ
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqV026lWfm
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZZnYWFxnn
pretty clean.
He grinned,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPI6meZfqP
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PMUXYCJ4S
He spread the newspaper out fast,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQkJEQV1Zt
and when he saw the big photo inside,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgfBoDwmHY
his whole face lit up.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRvr79RRIy
His blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Nana, come look! This is Robin—he’s so cool!”
Earlier, Jason had asked if it was okay to call her that.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWDoZOY7hc
And when he said the name “Nana,”59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfnu3ZO8Yv
she’d nodded.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeNqRbhGTh
No sound,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWl8KRLMaq
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsyqnYy4Q0
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9iuG966Eq
mouth tilted in a smile—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJz2go2rm0
a smile with no fear,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQDlFoNXzJ
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PpSVGHctw
He read the article out loud,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyjraH3FaC
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjz2HZXhrON
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLVPohzZrV
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjh3CBjj1T
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8dx9nVtZd
then raised her hands—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE7HxIL7Mz
pressed the wrists together,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09zTTH3XT7
moved her palms up and down like wings.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQarVleE0E
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9w7Ku4qIS
He actually understood her.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkdaF1G1DP
She meant “bat.”59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFhq4qhGft
Yeah—she knew bats,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkC9cb2shc
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsMbgdqCqF
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8QSLpMy1P
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZTyjo8jEm
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2liadYoMK
a boy spent hours explaining.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpwBRaSakv
He talked with his hands,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwr2ge9KR7
pointed at photos,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUlX0caSBe
and described those heroes59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWzPoQrp8Q
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZY9uOSTKR
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHzSSQ6iee
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeAeNBUxPD
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKto5GbCF0r
like he was reciting a hymn—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3AnzYZk1s
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx70wySEqn2
They protect people.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGv2INrOpK
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFG4ZOYpPWx
She looked at the photo again,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWei0Qamq2z
pointed to it,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAaka5LPrr
then moved her hands—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6Rpfn1ynT
one high, one low—opening and closing,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwGdhRxDlA
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDG4i80pyl
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzXabKjrF0
he said in a hushed tone,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4bTtbcyEs
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowfAIDvKrP
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmH0gaAj40
and raised one hand over his head,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJLyAtB53H
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTbD9oMYcN
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikg8GlNfVm
then looked away.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMgJyXlQJt
“…Thanks, Nana.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46pSz8clRT
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPM5Q011OTT
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkhGuf41yF
rustling the edge of the newspaper.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmQsG5PFlI
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsaNA0xJ8d
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOyRWc11SX
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMIgpFJQ07
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uXWbFeomY
And with Nana always beside him,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WXUQqxIyb
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi4fXNl2oI
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGAauwiNnd
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bFIciyEkw
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95Od3HnG3a
made Nana do them with him.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4iA0LM0Dj
Paper and pencil were slow,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5F79elbAC
and hard to come by.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhThtzarvk
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkK44E2GARJ
Her mouth opened slightly,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMw30q2awWs
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpCTIB8b17
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TDVyS7894
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUPmrHyvOu
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIyCBcoaXI
Her lips moved just a little—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo387dJ8BwQ
then slowly closed again.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqyGhywf8u
It was like she tried to speak,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pAzQCCqgs
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRv6ir2AQd
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KWH7K9drR
Let’s try it together.”
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZOx2lCFnU
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSjhNcZz3i
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPph7bymeb
The bodies lined the sidewalks,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDyBGioP6m
covered in simple cloths,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpHSpjZdPE
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36nhSLG0Aj
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6qA3GvEDL
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCd9DGidz7f
More like quiet observers.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EJIM8AAyH
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3J0Af1S9jw
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUVuarGG1o
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAbX4jT6KI
From the way the nun approached,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC00rbk54n0
to how she placed each flower,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9kXMgxWgn
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrzXFXWmfe
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0dBaHOfcC
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZmye9agWk
there was a hint of emotion59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZOUB8EHP2
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NKfg94QHH
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNh2vPyFEaD
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHHQqyiejK
it means someone remembered59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYovOnn1CI
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnvr03BPGQ
Thought for a second.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffyWovJhHE
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XeqpUTzPF
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIi1PLodEF
and quickly signed back:59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidbUkd44sa
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNmW3bJLPk
like he didn’t want to show he cared—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrKrGu2dvw
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mfR5YwtOK
I want white roses.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoS1EKS0Nt3
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZ8jUWX6Wy
carefully,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6e995Uym5
deliberately—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcW9aCb2jQ
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqWoB52vbq
Without thorns.
and then Add to home screen.