Todd was digging through the trash bin,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpueWU4Sgis
pulling out a few newspapers—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZQZ5SUSoH
but they were too damaged.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS8I0mDeN9
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcNOkraSyQ
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcJWgm1NgT
Todd frowned as he searched,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQqH2anJHf
his fingers long since used to the grime.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DFJHbCCHA
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZgP4EQ8Ex
Her movements were much gentler than his.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe9DjPTgjq
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r7n7074ae
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQIzN3k26f
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuXKh5c9h4
pretty clean.
He grinned,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtZeZ0K33g
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6L5Mltbxw
He spread the newspaper out fast,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAPzjPTAdN
and when he saw the big photo inside,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qKHWg2AQD
his whole face lit up.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2AkJnM6Qz
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.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YOhld9bfp
And when he said the name “Nana,”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyVzf6j7RB
she’d nodded.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQG8X8cDHJ
No sound,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1jDhHe5JB
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVyE6X9srf
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnirgKSdZsn
mouth tilted in a smile—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiBfYVA6k2
a smile with no fear,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLZTQYuQ3v
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT93CAHaNee
He read the article out loud,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xkT4bvdna
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGypbq3CR0W
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75OTfU21Kg
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdlFPQnGoT
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQlTLloVAT
then raised her hands—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhJHZUl2fi
pressed the wrists together,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuriAh9FKZ
moved her palms up and down like wings.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKaXyUDxOG
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiivLLh09r0
He actually understood her.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12dUA7pZbz
She meant “bat.”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6Uogt9rc3
Yeah—she knew bats,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyQ3MKHPpN
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X7Il6dxUP
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRG5rUaiQ8L
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuS1zH4EjDJ
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMt8BCZCiJ
a boy spent hours explaining.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pShsZI9P3
He talked with his hands,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9FWhGfcHL
pointed at photos,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAsSl2g1B2
and described those heroes48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx6dU1KdCT
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi826tuV1QR
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBk4wtdUKkO
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRp7chook5I
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTszTp5yYMo
like he was reciting a hymn—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sWkkfUTU3
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXK3ZleTW9
They protect people.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhR04uoe8KE
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1IP54Srea
She looked at the photo again,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YKO84NjkG
pointed to it,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmb85xwdzyd
then moved her hands—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXyBjlGAry
one high, one low—opening and closing,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwCJhoGDbz
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSke8xi3Tbr
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZw6sicANxv
he said in a hushed tone,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zKXT3Wi6c
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTdnG5Kexn
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCKnOAlweM
and raised one hand over his head,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfoEntnDvm
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32sACtMM1V
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjTkcQ4hwp
then looked away.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPzXPald9M
“…Thanks, Nana.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpIAez2Pbq
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rMP1KU0c8
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOY3u5sFBX
rustling the edge of the newspaper.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42z5xfvEfY
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC9m9rpBYo
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EewLTn0Wa
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYsdcjpMus
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSXhnifHAU
And with Nana always beside him,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHz4sXvZTC
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCwk3WvGZ0
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0n0nm5SGsx
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBaizbKgd7
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5uqGpaZlf
made Nana do them with him.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWInngc1au4
Paper and pencil were slow,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFqUq8wqDA
and hard to come by.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspNPO7P2ab
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIMLQu8u9i
Her mouth opened slightly,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpeS0N5UV5
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumhiYVOg5L
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggbJf8SGYL
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1cwcbK6Jr
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0FtzurZf0
Her lips moved just a little—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wNXMYVtlW
then slowly closed again.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6XtKIhvq2
It was like she tried to speak,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDk5GWoqM3
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnLvwVhBKN
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXz0x1kSyBn
Let’s try it together.”
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aLmMcP1cP
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gT9mtijCj
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5ukg7DFKy
The bodies lined the sidewalks,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlSKh7xLhb
covered in simple cloths,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4625pWB4N
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCT0lsU3sqV
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOCYbJnSwC
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy073mFnK23
More like quiet observers.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfnK2y0Z1A
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUXBKD0h2A
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZM7159n7mo
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO52Foj7Op
From the way the nun approached,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5e5rXXUzk
to how she placed each flower,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o4PXTH5zg
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rC1xObPID
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzbacWo1Pl
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFfZESWFOW
there was a hint of emotion48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkTYiwE3aB
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbM6DcWCjM
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6g0HhE7xB
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxIhJEVczz
it means someone remembered48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0HIeCWUkW
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CauBUaooQ
Thought for a second.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZ5gGdwlVx
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1889eN4fY
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3T09T6YmN
and quickly signed back:48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIJKaD8H1v
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPibvJHkICO
like he didn’t want to show he cared—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbZcliqCNl
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWc1Awvdu8
I want white roses.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OZbSzWxln
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkeWUkdP1e
carefully,48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaIPvC6xa6
deliberately—48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Uk4pkiylU
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRD2MAY78S7
Without thorns.
