Todd was digging through the trash bin,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJjx8E85gs
pulling out a few newspapers—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMaADIf3dY
but they were too damaged.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNIsX8uztR
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAtEnwUBHb
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiN3M44k4Z
Todd frowned as he searched,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1UIcnHFgg
his fingers long since used to the grime.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPuSPjZDty
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Poo550UH4
Her movements were much gentler than his.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvKrB9xpbp
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CVuM3kIbM
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnPsmtsKSP
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU677ZZNDX
pretty clean.
He grinned,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jwoyDYYPw
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbaS4Xqyx7
He spread the newspaper out fast,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayW8yRYFDa
and when he saw the big photo inside,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjl9S3HCh2U
his whole face lit up.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmF2341wv3u
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.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UZi4xkyzn
And when he said the name “Nana,”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFGgDMUHof
she’d nodded.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtGUQDABON
No sound,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGyVHbPjY5
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcyPAOletN
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkcLQflLkz
mouth tilted in a smile—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUY5Wtt6oG
a smile with no fear,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEhnqsYShM
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLRmnC3Aqx
He read the article out loud,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpnwsKrzeu
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRjBEdyo7B
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiMAeT895O
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74fAhrOYzx
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP4uG5lhOi
then raised her hands—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡberkcRDElW
pressed the wrists together,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4BZCSTV2o
moved her palms up and down like wings.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtm8Tji7sQB
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0AWKqfDk1
He actually understood her.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HZTvBX4yO
She meant “bat.”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDe5iCQcwlX
Yeah—she knew bats,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTVfKWRfbW
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVNqFFUd5x
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWM8dcJPbbV
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81BOsPwr92
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPLyb129wK
a boy spent hours explaining.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07gwPBIflq
He talked with his hands,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLAvZRCoQB
pointed at photos,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyBg5m0GTo
and described those heroes52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopMIwhq8eP
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6tyBQczhv
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrx7Czp8GD
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2cYRNRPbc
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscA3x60h7E
like he was reciting a hymn—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCiKT8SxCI
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhVL3s4aYh
They protect people.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQ8fBWpuqi
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJhLFFWuLd
She looked at the photo again,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddI5Ap8n4W
pointed to it,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzaaaza2KZ
then moved her hands—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63qsVFTpDg
one high, one low—opening and closing,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjJUeuDsed
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNHPo7bWKT
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJBXjoKINr
he said in a hushed tone,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJrOxFZpaD
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6qKfTz21X
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZUyWqXW3a
and raised one hand over his head,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1siIAaziR
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuEbX0UxXw
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUrJPteupD
then looked away.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UIi5YlWBt
“…Thanks, Nana.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmG75gIl6Ub
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2g0r0XV1UI
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVFgWRnfXZ
rustling the edge of the newspaper.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxekg8vsKw
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUe6n5fTTk
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBYzI6XP3L
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdR5hdlr8ON
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2V0kTrlfSy
And with Nana always beside him,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TrFupGJen
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pxqJAAXql
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBzcKG39xO
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09KuGO49kg
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbX6qNL5Xul
made Nana do them with him.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TdsKr4ziN
Paper and pencil were slow,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9m6TDxsFxd
and hard to come by.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGlxogqoWe
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWksBxK1eu
Her mouth opened slightly,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ikDAxpAus
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sjtExkoe4
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDqYuAWDP1
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmaNRi2WMi
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP977O6Jupg
Her lips moved just a little—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vT36dVemm
then slowly closed again.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sDn9s0gAq
It was like she tried to speak,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5F6en5SvK
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nfZH7nUaT
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zHWljSfrO
Let’s try it together.”
52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKzAnYcoJC
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylkVPEa6sL
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMU4Ll0Jw9
The bodies lined the sidewalks,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMm7KHgmRX
covered in simple cloths,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT303f5EA1V
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD48S2tQzrw
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLe1zfyve2t
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBkUJg41Ci
More like quiet observers.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyO030RSZy
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLW6yq0vteu
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhii56ZtFYF
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7Td4I3KKk
From the way the nun approached,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27SF0nFfeB
to how she placed each flower,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnPk84KXCK
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8zuA5HKer
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLLaJr0jXP
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlancQ1Fvd
there was a hint of emotion52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60oNUUBDwN
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQYHQJ2faU
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGYvwZfuZG
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZXAQif7Qa
it means someone remembered52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUz47CsK4a
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sMgxeAjHu
Thought for a second.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihiMcdnIxr
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6c37NbLfL
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zvAEmvPie
and quickly signed back:52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kyx9pkYuM
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFtnORTElI
like he didn’t want to show he cared—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6GzmgsmO8
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5hgfKWONu
I want white roses.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6ZGezydko
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyjIPEgfIF
carefully,52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eOYMtgL3C
deliberately—52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhT2HuqeybN
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.52Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQYGrw1CAn
Without thorns.
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