Todd was digging through the trash bin,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaKZpWppzL
pulling out a few newspapers—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJFJaZ3wH7
but they were too damaged.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou26NijquB
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJF9TkElwI
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsumQXhvZe
Todd frowned as he searched,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnO2gRO24e
his fingers long since used to the grime.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUmlwEwUwG
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVjO0a9lqY
Her movements were much gentler than his.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNhaZwvEeP
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcwdGkbgBN
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHWAUjDOJG
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2gJOCuDY2
pretty clean.
He grinned,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOenoEtgEq
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYm3V03PGps
He spread the newspaper out fast,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0stdulHT6s
and when he saw the big photo inside,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmYgS6zlxE
his whole face lit up.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfeXRfFn7L
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.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gLsvJrhz5
And when he said the name “Nana,”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusU0xyWf66
she’d nodded.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnSwJGl6VW
No sound,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2smKrdg5HL
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2UYAaUfus
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWDZz3lnLr
mouth tilted in a smile—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCRlyFE4ae
a smile with no fear,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ368KwgHfep
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOk6Akcw82H
He read the article out loud,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4hQzrI3rR
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ6WVXmYHh
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6uWzXnuxw
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszVyA4sWSz
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhR3KxzAvB
then raised her hands—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDRXpJQPx6
pressed the wrists together,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiuzNeiCvY
moved her palms up and down like wings.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAAQiVovX4
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4mBqYpRIb
He actually understood her.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZdvAXj8ge
She meant “bat.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzU4AdYIap4
Yeah—she knew bats,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTRSZVjj8y
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlxNHGo9hE
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9sWgodjpG
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0VtbcR4mr
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfH5gzgHx3
a boy spent hours explaining.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ivk4jYqZ3
He talked with his hands,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jH6Bm2wQ9
pointed at photos,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlMPbzfUZt
and described those heroes41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYC3kUMbT0
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfl7obEi4Ca
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2AOkAN25y
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHEojW4KTO
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqpmVDqy5C
like he was reciting a hymn—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJKiLYN1Pl
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCijoIx6LJf
They protect people.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Dyu9FWi5M
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNHxO57DXM
She looked at the photo again,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhJ57Mq9Ck
pointed to it,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsYE3bDJ6d
then moved her hands—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58Lsu48l1S
one high, one low—opening and closing,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKgz5InSK1
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PdvKTSyEX
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdSpB5XcGf
he said in a hushed tone,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0HWrMxq5j
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VxWaRAkk7
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTF3PIJeO0
and raised one hand over his head,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRppJy416e
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgRKAe7Zco
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcxB5lxreI
then looked away.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qPTyOQADk
“…Thanks, Nana.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCg1NEJgP6
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpwca3aya4
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUERKCZ3ZBx
rustling the edge of the newspaper.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmsjV4K0JJ
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfyNkfQxm9
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuaoYcZgWi
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6J7XSTdab
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO5X5r7XbZ
And with Nana always beside him,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvpMcMLK3P
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIA6V16D5Aw
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFgx84o23U
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zK5cbKmLA
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjMqtPE218
made Nana do them with him.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xbpMFi5om
Paper and pencil were slow,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RG0PTZyU0
and hard to come by.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFQX2G5zCJ
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72ujEry75M
Her mouth opened slightly,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwT7abmsz45
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nPeMqkrUy
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheuwIm2Nc1
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4U4tyJyWok
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AjLWQjhR7
Her lips moved just a little—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGImmbj41F
then slowly closed again.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkUqu8C0sN
It was like she tried to speak,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9M0wiK4P7
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAG1zofeKq
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dvuMjWhZg
Let’s try it together.”
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDO4sF0WFnq
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImvu5Zq8T1
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2C0znx17Mt
The bodies lined the sidewalks,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYo8k9QlNRh
covered in simple cloths,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DwNhrTHCr
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tAhNQMFco
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DJlkUOWw9
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYclK7zbwz3
More like quiet observers.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3vJrHg0pw
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw2uPAgqTC
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglvYSHJo9H
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfkDrxsSXs
From the way the nun approached,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbV5Fm1SIt
to how she placed each flower,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRfzNnDNTF
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzamjy3Ve0
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRYYbNXFu4
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E7ztki7Y3
there was a hint of emotion41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDG5Vd6wwI
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPczVQcTGga
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SSQrVm5xa
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ305batu6cm
it means someone remembered41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHZV5p5Oue
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctpQeAjnEL
Thought for a second.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfxqiKUzEv
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78nof5NpZ6
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCSYUQY8n0
and quickly signed back:41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUI1p72C3Y
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29Bv0DAqZo
like he didn’t want to show he cared—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCwpcYlsZD
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYVpv8hRBH
I want white roses.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68JSouEkMb
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTiJzZaJCI
carefully,41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcB2jv9vG1
deliberately—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5JBWlSfzG
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDUhNKQDrg
Without thorns.
and then Add to home screen.