Todd was digging through the trash bin,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg1dWPgg7O
pulling out a few newspapers—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyTktIhwVi
but they were too damaged.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfiNlSSOKx
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0stdpLYSAy
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lQWUGy5CI
Todd frowned as he searched,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgj5lo8RVM
his fingers long since used to the grime.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJO5zYfrIL
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcz1CUfptn
Her movements were much gentler than his.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXd3paFDfF
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWx0IkRr9q5
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsIVcGnxXj
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfqjKqkY9r
pretty clean.
He grinned,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2xL91tLWm
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRw7yn1CiAH
He spread the newspaper out fast,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrxBQn1aVu
and when he saw the big photo inside,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7vLrSKdOl
his whole face lit up.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoe0zPqSJN
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.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡex3goNhDRx
And when he said the name “Nana,”361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IkqvuXskI
she’d nodded.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IOgh0s4vz
No sound,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9rHJpKkVQ
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQRLCV7yIi
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dxHynSoY3
mouth tilted in a smile—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkobeKK3CiU
a smile with no fear,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJ3CkfIDvy
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnR9IqpKHyX
He read the article out loud,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ7J8OxFIo
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe01nhZXSbk
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiW1v1HSTeF
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFTO6TKOyS
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRTkBvQRdh
then raised her hands—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFvsVdFVqS
pressed the wrists together,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNX9MFFba5
moved her palms up and down like wings.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWaZ0V1P9h
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AHkgZTs01
He actually understood her.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eEQxX0hDF
She meant “bat.”361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooKsJLvoTW
Yeah—she knew bats,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKcmfJEl97
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKiiwCVC7r
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFpcArtXuc
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PogVZFeDA
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8wN0AxfsD
a boy spent hours explaining.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fOWmpnnC1
He talked with his hands,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyZBvWzZux
pointed at photos,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgkcSxfo41
and described those heroes361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9I9kN3ckT
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFdeYiTAgI
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFmK2ncxPk
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CcnSRgFli
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89fhQBFItU
like he was reciting a hymn—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhkuZhdVy9
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7jMNxGPvS
They protect people.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgWuk96fOu
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVMUjkMYlK
She looked at the photo again,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBfiJpErJw
pointed to it,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieTII9tZz9
then moved her hands—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6kuiCQ85M
one high, one low—opening and closing,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLvHuAzHAv
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XiZpHC1tq
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnSYiIhGuP
he said in a hushed tone,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMb6jrk9vBk
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0w19fu1W7
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRjY8OTQdT
and raised one hand over his head,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXad7JCCWV
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡermS3iLt1o
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SfFCMXFFh
then looked away.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlh29l1DWA
“…Thanks, Nana.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjaltyEoVH
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8MS4W5dmb
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwM3I6jXseh
rustling the edge of the newspaper.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Qz2BgFy71
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyH4cJtKMlu
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x0UyFR8gs
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ74Ni3q7MO
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwX2RIKS5Hs
And with Nana always beside him,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwOZoPU3Cc
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrC8JCMORws
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhm98QOhbSj
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO80kASBAy
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWug2XszwB
made Nana do them with him.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuGuVqnDnq
Paper and pencil were slow,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYGLr0LOJR
and hard to come by.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNw8PxfPmp
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSLND3MZJY
Her mouth opened slightly,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzucYyVWW4
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYpJZA0lAO
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo35kT8ifSg
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1u73LjC61h
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XYnkYQJlW
Her lips moved just a little—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1NyFvjBAX
then slowly closed again.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99O8tDJ4Rg
It was like she tried to speak,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PxAiaPUJe
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7P4F6CtiwP
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvp2t0QkOV
Let’s try it together.”
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oDzbNbGiL
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOX5C45c3Ud
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3Yg5M3lMS
The bodies lined the sidewalks,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ863KBTPBS1
covered in simple cloths,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQeqps7Hms
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PsgNLzm4n
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLDYZa0Y2s
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRhDgcYN9B
More like quiet observers.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaoNm5aRLn
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGJ7QAgoZC
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4k6mHzcFG
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1DFiZocUm
From the way the nun approached,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZjjmVPGOk
to how she placed each flower,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYcAW68gqZ
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUElWHQ0w7a
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln0Jf9VFpV
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazkbHUJSNV
there was a hint of emotion361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJirfhjGt4
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ03yjrmYFE
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXC36rS3SVC
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKvskm8fM4
it means someone remembered361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3VPAVTTHT
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsCrwdPp0G
Thought for a second.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8R6HSOGNK3
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EGJz2oqnp
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOIJ1QgsoG
and quickly signed back:361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftKH6aDWFz
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVAvWPBC1i
like he didn’t want to show he cared—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtUZrSO2mX
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX5seHJD73
I want white roses.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUA7ZmiJEK
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOTMrAF6eU
carefully,361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRKzZdSTxX
deliberately—361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGaTNPqi2Y
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbo7KmewSS
Without thorns.
and then Add to home screen.