Todd was digging through the trash bin,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJBQgZLkIr
pulling out a few newspapers—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRQibyy9Et
but they were too damaged.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfJ0DknSrE
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVYcA20CNx
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7P2o5B7ut
Todd frowned as he searched,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BGXmLg1iO
his fingers long since used to the grime.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YhgD4VqUl
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0IAWCkd2z
Her movements were much gentler than his.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8TNa8hnZR
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIqNhwUW1Q
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡic1lcOZlOc
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFFqgolIAt
pretty clean.
He grinned,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMVlprXI2x
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKJ0BFhwxK
He spread the newspaper out fast,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMA3HU8eKa
and when he saw the big photo inside,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3D2qg3yc9p
his whole face lit up.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpdRNVwRPw
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.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvFRT2zKwg
And when he said the name “Nana,”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpWA4vWVF5
she’d nodded.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpb6YLh2rl
No sound,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZwBqUwlu2
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1hkaFEaNn
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDvonzjQOD
mouth tilted in a smile—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9UVY0V5Cm
a smile with no fear,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQAwxUjl3y
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSMHyQItmq
He read the article out loud,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQK8SlKz9I
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiSYBKh1XU
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqU0dk16kZe
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNxbw9Qwpc
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRcMQbIa4J
then raised her hands—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxdj8KDsas
pressed the wrists together,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKawJHIisS
moved her palms up and down like wings.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYTslIpusl
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFmLNN4QKF
He actually understood her.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasrxxOg97M
She meant “bat.”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI49DsODzXM
Yeah—she knew bats,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSp9z3iosWC
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OMTAswXrN
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ678CkiJsIY
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qH7d8Tp6G
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiebmwnIdOb
a boy spent hours explaining.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpI41jdGFkT
He talked with his hands,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeR7fL60WZT
pointed at photos,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35Igr9sKDd
and described those heroes36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG06umzFobw
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWu9OVu9DNs
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpYXXC6ocB
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2bdCY93PJ
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR14qLw1SbV
like he was reciting a hymn—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxjIzyI0E5
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp364xsFfUl
They protect people.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kznxiPIu8
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjstHJimRa
She looked at the photo again,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfc9NHFBc4g
pointed to it,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8TTeTQqFX
then moved her hands—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBh8FyVr9f
one high, one low—opening and closing,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EZCqk0VEj
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDENAzXU0vF
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9jObIzKRD
he said in a hushed tone,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3U4Lt7npo3
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0266hNQubI
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5eOT3L84s
and raised one hand over his head,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0ReSBVcjW
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IP4N2vp8c
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7L3X8vHKz
then looked away.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8u5d4fxIN
“…Thanks, Nana.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYMXWWCgqM
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9fQnYH2CO
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ71QoKM52
rustling the edge of the newspaper.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqtv0JFs09
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUhW93DiyO
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡso18BKx8OG
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZk7WmVA6v
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59CYKE3EH7
And with Nana always beside him,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHxcEvdwni
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrpFJl6UBN
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4I0Ns4yQ2
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmDJ1UN8Dr
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uEmj9OXSK
made Nana do them with him.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPx4qCQEk9f
Paper and pencil were slow,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNeqLbpxLQ
and hard to come by.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn43LQMhNtA
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0xRuQ5GpI
Her mouth opened slightly,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJobsngvTw5
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbCb9B7XgH
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWB7ZHLEPyn
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡareZvkng4s
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBT6LVfddl
Her lips moved just a little—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLYYnfAhi1
then slowly closed again.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWFzYjGMDn
It was like she tried to speak,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAS2qGb51Jj
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOkcI9Okey
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUYjxlF4I1
Let’s try it together.”
36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CCiJjjVR2
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwKUbwi0r0
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdZTO7bAS4
The bodies lined the sidewalks,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4v6lOlnb9
covered in simple cloths,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡah3LbLtzox
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMG1y5K7y5
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCzUjS1Jd4
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELklhOCTOL
More like quiet observers.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwplQEITnH
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXp4SlFZ9Pi
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4PAY0P32y
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLFjd3Vd8L
From the way the nun approached,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXLsVxPqHc
to how she placed each flower,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTnMVT4F5Y
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKGBRYCPnD
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OvlD7wlwG
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqY1I24XqM
there was a hint of emotion36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7otfMyiA4c
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWla3gplUom
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhDug28az0
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6T5JwM4mJ
it means someone remembered36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruTIvSBNFZ
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVszOO0yem
Thought for a second.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YNTz6oeOM
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgINPMyKGvE
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojbl8vNyKo
and quickly signed back:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDajHjESf0
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Eo96Z7XFc
like he didn’t want to show he cared—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4NffRKnls
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNtuCXAeC6
I want white roses.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhpF4vJ3Oj
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMN8z79mye2
carefully,36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPSS2Scg6h
deliberately—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMHl6Y2jYQ
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxzir9W0Ut
Without thorns.
