Todd was digging through the trash bin,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWMRbm2sIU
pulling out a few newspapers—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0PjbHu2lk
but they were too damaged.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMzbpWJ1v3
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCsDHxoy6e
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbtjP5uk5B
Todd frowned as he searched,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZchDz5k00
his fingers long since used to the grime.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0edcRbjucN
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJgx5Ik2t3
Her movements were much gentler than his.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wGqduA0LK
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtLfQwZy8v
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGGCk1r9cT
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dn6MvcBis
pretty clean.
He grinned,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmuMnou84u
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHMNOVTai5
He spread the newspaper out fast,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3qktQ8kSV
and when he saw the big photo inside,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtc8qHqCYN
his whole face lit up.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTvcgLiZEf
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.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXAPv26cuO
And when he said the name “Nana,”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyU8Zwg8SP
she’d nodded.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZAAuRMIJ2
No sound,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAEyJJBxyQ
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpL6hs6dWua
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o78DDdBT8
mouth tilted in a smile—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7XNy3TBNz
a smile with no fear,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3lHl2JkZm
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Hm5QRUxhJ
He read the article out loud,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsc1xYXNiba
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9amtuX3d2T
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QROPFEm0K
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOXQDyiC0G
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbBSj57MXA
then raised her hands—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNLUVvDgzU
pressed the wrists together,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlVWKCc82v
moved her palms up and down like wings.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXiHeRcbxC
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5TAY91emR
He actually understood her.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uZdbOwgRl
She meant “bat.”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37W9uUeb5x
Yeah—she knew bats,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVlWnBM8EU
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDXesjakU3
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5t9S6kNXH
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0SHYsSARg
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYonHqhci6
a boy spent hours explaining.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTphF4Izc7
He talked with his hands,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfonr8lC7p1
pointed at photos,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOex1NBoPt
and described those heroes57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknYXUwr3Op
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7gjjCw3g6
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡak6z7FZCic
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ7azHUewU
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RhsCUm62p
like he was reciting a hymn—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60cdy9O0It
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUluYDBOSA0
They protect people.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GCrMXyZBM
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20WTDTzsu4
She looked at the photo again,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID0xfhTkWL
pointed to it,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yMbpGniYz
then moved her hands—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAla71qtarv
one high, one low—opening and closing,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1ZyHBxvb4
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSGEnHrgGy
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKR00uVFWg
he said in a hushed tone,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYt8cDix0w
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNfwvMWuDL
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6Jnx7wKVS
and raised one hand over his head,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoKznARYMK
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxv4MBFMmc6
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOahL8SGKtW
then looked away.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOmrpqmO1H
“…Thanks, Nana.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5KyHwTPnw
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHh3HmKeIh1
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiUt9F8Boc
rustling the edge of the newspaper.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcvHwpDieA
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIdrGHgnQY
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbkJjgZlkF
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7u8BrskRB
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVnQRuRZb6
And with Nana always beside him,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmS6lE9lA7N
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2Hl6rrhpi
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQb9AuiY9f
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO0c3toaj8
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7dvcenNpV
made Nana do them with him.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KsszfJAc6
Paper and pencil were slow,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RZMhbazrw
and hard to come by.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOBiG86qVv
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksIgHICUPF
Her mouth opened slightly,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAJbN4kMoN
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGuzRkBsxX
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiZkRk6lml
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbaUpMwkN6
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qeu6aHP4m
Her lips moved just a little—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhavKsqCA02
then slowly closed again.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNABTKtUmB7
It was like she tried to speak,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOHDBpxlsZ
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcUzZnP39y
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJegmQN3BbD
Let’s try it together.”
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluC7KUdmYu
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4WlblUaYk
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0b54QqyMF
The bodies lined the sidewalks,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjvjsexN4J
covered in simple cloths,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1Po0rAv15
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgIADL4V0K
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNg3DeWSi2
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMmZ5IXeTC
More like quiet observers.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9je2BCc93
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa136mSoM0V
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeX8WvRdv3F
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrIO6mNn2G
From the way the nun approached,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbswxY9zNFw
to how she placed each flower,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtGvXF12Ph
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNTFRYgr2U
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlGMARrTvG
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBI8s6lu6A
there was a hint of emotion57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaEFpPHXLn
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQoICVIbeS
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAzfilRSdR
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1H1VL1qDT
it means someone remembered57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BXzK7KxL2
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQbXXs3LHL
Thought for a second.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCMHaHGfpj
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrG10bOR5Jh
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImbKXjbECv
and quickly signed back:57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHSb2OySrZ
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZluAVmVSg
like he didn’t want to show he cared—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4xYeRd6TY
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nwO3TRgm1
I want white roses.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QmhF5L7IF
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzwdaECCIk
carefully,57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKtu6n9Hpq
deliberately—57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWkOho7lF1
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdd3tKo0Gj
Without thorns.
