Todd was digging through the trash bin,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3tkt6f0sG
pulling out a few newspapers—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡif9gpzHlrE
but they were too damaged.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKPhtlY8Mc
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4ytzRy01a
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNzDTFyPED
Todd frowned as he searched,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjtNosLCGZ
his fingers long since used to the grime.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiO487oS7Qc
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4RZWDz6o1
Her movements were much gentler than his.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFwAKqD8cM
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZZnYZyusc
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Kn18zWnhC
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyED6uRoA1
pretty clean.
He grinned,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6zBfwENUW
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtN4ckXR2W
He spread the newspaper out fast,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi428RsNiRG
and when he saw the big photo inside,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjigDdjJLQJ
his whole face lit up.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5poeQeAaA
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.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKR7bi1m8kk
And when he said the name “Nana,”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0dVPreK2z
she’d nodded.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjORDuv887
No sound,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJ5C9vzweI
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3TaYsY4Qi
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAY8HTT9dW
mouth tilted in a smile—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQoQbB4GLj
a smile with no fear,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdItSj92KID
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomObAYF1eJ
He read the article out loud,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgtu2BMJ55
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WuvsuQRFr
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZPs8AaSJc
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmniVqi1nHz
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq89PZFVCY
then raised her hands—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq5uHgQEoC
pressed the wrists together,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJk2S5bA3W
moved her palms up and down like wings.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvt3MDmQrSz
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dS8WxuFZu
He actually understood her.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5vvlubw9n
She meant “bat.”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15ZAdxYNhd
Yeah—she knew bats,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKpcLaUiGu
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOGOvSJ4WE
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgAFJLH9fh
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3U9QhEE3Js
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6cPPS9PJE
a boy spent hours explaining.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZWteMCeou
He talked with his hands,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7jJBrryOy
pointed at photos,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkbrDjbgTv
and described those heroes24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoL32sB4Om
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15rXUABs9K
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcwVXTF29X
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5arBbg9VJm
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4InKquAnri
like he was reciting a hymn—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPUU7F1T5e
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh6uxnvL4l
They protect people.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHQ9piD7V0
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLqkbSRllG
She looked at the photo again,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvR0hhGhrR
pointed to it,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GzGN5hoqe
then moved her hands—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9QvA1tGvS
one high, one low—opening and closing,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOnUWt42Rt
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cNeMEN6Rf
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaDadt0T1t
he said in a hushed tone,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9uFQ4Kpnd
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQkYnY43tj
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWr4fPJGg0
and raised one hand over his head,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzk8zEQXgX
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdEKvEwAfG
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLirBebHVc
then looked away.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTau8z2W6ms
“…Thanks, Nana.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYjbnEJQ3Z
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraWq8R3Q9v
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuDOWHAfHu
rustling the edge of the newspaper.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN2BZwPAL2
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdSzO9xZqN
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0M9XcnJUxU
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FA4o9c8sE
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmr4cx4cKZ9
And with Nana always beside him,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuW3El9mjyO
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljf4rLb1nl
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0FxAQ9ps5
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3TZgmdjID
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4JrdeMMQn
made Nana do them with him.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHqlSjjoqF
Paper and pencil were slow,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPQf2gxBnV
and hard to come by.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIMJTT7S7k
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWV4UQqZeK
Her mouth opened slightly,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0pUD8uSzm
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPCnpkXd0j
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbsqpFqeH8
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLvVV5KXJD
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatR2dK2dFc
Her lips moved just a little—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvMU0v40Ep
then slowly closed again.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVg8eEetPrs
It was like she tried to speak,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMXlzjtnaY
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFIJmEmNF7
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx69fef8bOZ
Let’s try it together.”
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH18d5LRqwr
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoz8mTKB5j
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUre300Kl7
The bodies lined the sidewalks,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VN5saVAcL
covered in simple cloths,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWgpd50Vdr
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ICe7R8lQo
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNBlINDn0p
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CTxrM7dI4
More like quiet observers.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrqqs4QEoD
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPl6XQENjv
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJpprFUPEP
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX28CaMOkjv
From the way the nun approached,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MlFX02a5w
to how she placed each flower,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZ7JNyTp9E
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7BSLGivVo
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyd3WFVnJP
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcbnqdGeXo
there was a hint of emotion24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqm8xq0DdY
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsvzp4zU9Q
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEo2hjrMiKF
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06dfVGjh3D
it means someone remembered24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4geOHTBLp
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqwbSUCbJD
Thought for a second.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSPjbbINn2
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUIMx4XqMz
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHY8S2XTMh
and quickly signed back:24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8LprkNzwr
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeHAMJlNLs
like he didn’t want to show he cared—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTwa57k4h3
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELLn1pwx9u
I want white roses.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTMeEOPjKv
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnzOkV4Qns
carefully,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzBjiKpskE
deliberately—24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2u4JwhqXTj
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7CLA62Ye0
Without thorns.
