Todd was digging through the trash bin,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5vna9Rit1
pulling out a few newspapers—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukbgr10zcz
but they were too damaged.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7xkAkeIHO
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YfjtShOWh
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOmt0Uh7Tw
Todd frowned as he searched,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqL3Z4mxa4B
his fingers long since used to the grime.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7VBu4Jaud
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBKvNq6K1r
Her movements were much gentler than his.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlBBx6td9p
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dT6TZFB5Y
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzg1Zzr1q7
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALHKm9Cx6s
pretty clean.
He grinned,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTdjLCGyId
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8y2hPvi8uk
He spread the newspaper out fast,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ltmCMyQnl
and when he saw the big photo inside,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHymxhXxMNQ
his whole face lit up.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5IDW5cSpC
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.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyAJMtdyX5
And when he said the name “Nana,”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuIIoecaLb
she’d nodded.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EKynpyehg
No sound,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jQSvactW5
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsIxURTWzv
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcRHLxp3bq
mouth tilted in a smile—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlms9vVKo7
a smile with no fear,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXsKAE7iDC
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHOyEI2NXL
He read the article out loud,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQnmyFQVG5
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQC1FeZlbRQ
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsgCL5vBPy
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0AoQB8GMm
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWhIyeE2sI
then raised her hands—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZSXRllMA4
pressed the wrists together,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7RMD8xY9A
moved her palms up and down like wings.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg80Nb3CH2
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMdsPcdzyx
He actually understood her.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7jb7XJz0w
She meant “bat.”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZyekr0mo1
Yeah—she knew bats,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSwE13lKJE
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qYLuc2D55
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmG4G3JALA
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojAnuo5mdH
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrSzRXux1T
a boy spent hours explaining.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86pzd9tnLh
He talked with his hands,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oliOgaMaX
pointed at photos,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBXO8xqSJS
and described those heroes92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLV63mLOZsj
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuLM4SS4KN
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhPvXfUkkq
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGVz1vZTXl
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIcjD0XQi1
like he was reciting a hymn—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cwsE1Otse
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQwx6oH6p8
They protect people.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxxuBi3dsn
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PklL5F3vd
She looked at the photo again,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BQ05RqzXE
pointed to it,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XkSEvCx4D
then moved her hands—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n8XiSmHgE
one high, one low—opening and closing,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTMSbcPuT8
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoixT6n2ELn
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToP6QZTnd5
he said in a hushed tone,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwpm7dF1Xp
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIa78mGwHI
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGN6ceks9t
and raised one hand over his head,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjYDP62UoW
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwP1u0XTx91
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTlK4MzQQI
then looked away.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ho8yivqc0
“…Thanks, Nana.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6njsqMkj3P
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqvOTCHnps
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQ61uJECYE
rustling the edge of the newspaper.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhBBWjvei2
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulEJNhgvlM
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gW0dzzloP
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlO29bZHVR
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsSZL1Q33t
And with Nana always beside him,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlJpQk4gpP
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20DDZb5XM4
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygAP9x16V6
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53QBFw7hkr
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPL0RukmOz
made Nana do them with him.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXaBMSvF1M
Paper and pencil were slow,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3F98WsVPj
and hard to come by.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GWryjyvbp
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzByEA6M0RI
Her mouth opened slightly,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWc5J8dOGv
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqhSfDGjMB
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynqQFaxT6p
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJy9EM4Pb6O
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlsbTsbLyw
Her lips moved just a little—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI49b2Fy5Zi
then slowly closed again.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvojW1Q0BK
It was like she tried to speak,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQVP0mNgwk
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iyTwpQlM9
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuCNAh4q3g
Let’s try it together.”
92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnmtS4PHn2
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApyBTNrjAX
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaN90hrCa8R
The bodies lined the sidewalks,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRCgbbMfGs
covered in simple cloths,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tTgQReGeN
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxYjPNVfwt
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMN2i5aKGw
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvzLE6rVU9
More like quiet observers.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpT1EOXLr9x
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ICFV3mheZ
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QWELXbdWL
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Wia7E4pV3
From the way the nun approached,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5de6ErOJ5
to how she placed each flower,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4yAoH66OS
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiA0iwCnhp0
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwL2WP6Zpq
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEx4MTsWRQl
there was a hint of emotion92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOqViwYvfs
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhY0i3TjWV
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTH8zzWigG
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVpJvMHjqL
it means someone remembered92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyGyHvaUAO
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD2743Zv1O
Thought for a second.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8GbEQr33B
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAmxKQAWpp
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeh9MAmim5
and quickly signed back:92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2LPGgN2GV
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxvZpbHjV1
like he didn’t want to show he cared—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxcGE6YLzz
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1SMgLjFvp
I want white roses.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslUmXT10Cu
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rpXCBI5Ub
carefully,92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhoGcx1hNq
deliberately—92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjYDeVv1Rc
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hr2ZEHU9u
Without thorns.
and then Add to home screen.