Todd was digging through the trash bin,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKilFWvBCn
pulling out a few newspapers—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOWsjb4HYP
but they were too damaged.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBu6A9gRKH
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqa2Jm8Pg0
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMF2lQD0iw
Todd frowned as he searched,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiw5qCOFIy
his fingers long since used to the grime.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvU2OrfJrh
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡip4cSpQ310
Her movements were much gentler than his.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppMvAfKRpr
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzmkDIGPIE
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjprKHylGBD
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEhDVRVZAa
pretty clean.
He grinned,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8jXX11S0G
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA4ay7Zc3I
He spread the newspaper out fast,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48DNUTgaUY
and when he saw the big photo inside,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwtwF62PAy
his whole face lit up.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYsOeKezle
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.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRXLTVd6EW
And when he said the name “Nana,”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlceVZc7WU
she’d nodded.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqdZldNTHC
No sound,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB75uziK6te
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMh1SWa99y
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhFb1XtnEL
mouth tilted in a smile—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1kleKZSQg
a smile with no fear,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr471kcPZ2
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgh4aeK8QT6
He read the article out loud,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2SGxzI5sZ
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lyFJ9Y9L3
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTrxKntJgw
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxE1aDtPieE
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi1NT9WSkd
then raised her hands—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyt1Z0nZnf3
pressed the wrists together,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUFqq9LeUi
moved her palms up and down like wings.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwK3l4WUuYx
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bX4yKOqy5
He actually understood her.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXE2UpSemb
She meant “bat.”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnmEs0oXn4
Yeah—she knew bats,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAs2TYGVJna
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KvAOL0QHC
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XCKtCyDXF
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoD6ff5mSz
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7KEjNPZNt
a boy spent hours explaining.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ni0gwj9Vc
He talked with his hands,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWIZtbLrhD
pointed at photos,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb02MUPcaDb
and described those heroes31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpM4EV9BIsk
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04DpSoZlvp
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ydsKQXUny
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXGyF4cTsd
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcVwDbux9u
like he was reciting a hymn—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NGBFJe46U
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MN0f2STzJ
They protect people.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8l9L7dq4l1
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYZ9xBt4zJ
She looked at the photo again,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNymTIXcNqr
pointed to it,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIPmyoGjFa
then moved her hands—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepKN4InDFw
one high, one low—opening and closing,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oFnqdMr7f
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZnwwOgmTz
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADrSG1RGh3
he said in a hushed tone,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJS1V3Lh9Vq
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzswbJ2YUdV
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoyIpIioJQ
and raised one hand over his head,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9mTKiptqX
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkNBshMqet
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEc1aC2BNi
then looked away.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pJz44XOva
“…Thanks, Nana.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUanFM2NWLT
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwiSQGILzS
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmStLVPSqg9
rustling the edge of the newspaper.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IvYmx3OcE
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpta4i43Xd2
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjdo9jXtBe
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMbDLnt5nn
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCn1QPRExKY
And with Nana always beside him,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeopSfsrXi
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdUYYwLcuo
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ztYOv3H4u
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXS4ziwmHpr
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvXNv7cbYz
made Nana do them with him.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjchtmVsEo
Paper and pencil were slow,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7n0pWoYUpb
and hard to come by.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRN3yRmQAwo
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XOcWc2hYC
Her mouth opened slightly,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqITmtlUfKM
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64BlPNBQu3
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nfpegUwOD
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8qwIOPxme
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwATMiNy4H
Her lips moved just a little—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6AFneZ8oE
then slowly closed again.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEy1I6RS2i
It was like she tried to speak,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMwr346ygA
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxs0xTn261
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygais6SdZD
Let’s try it together.”
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtgnL8I74a
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX97Qbdi5FB
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CUQQdT6z1
The bodies lined the sidewalks,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc4aTJZXfM
covered in simple cloths,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNguABODkL
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLYXzHOHs4
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchuGM682pd
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiefe2Ns2B
More like quiet observers.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ2GdPkgET
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ioTvhwUhp
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXzs4OwjeJ
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHSw3vgT4P
From the way the nun approached,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzHrhpka2m
to how she placed each flower,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjsM91xDTx
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBk9AU1TB0
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnW23fxIDb
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaSlI31cyr
there was a hint of emotion31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6godd8Tb8
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV1N9xL90f
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfXmahJTrj
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aYMnypkFb
it means someone remembered31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmiZSxTUgZ
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSD2o7EDOk
Thought for a second.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtm8wTmb0v
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCI1oUdqfaH
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvX1878Ml1t
and quickly signed back:31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDssYz3tJFX
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjTF7LbXMf
like he didn’t want to show he cared—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehvtg6Yb3x
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVBiDKliPp
I want white roses.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW6USWBPky
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1MJ7LpGZB
carefully,31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9O25Sm31G4
deliberately—31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbiYLL5u9t
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZcRxbV4IN
Without thorns.
and then Add to home screen.