Todd was digging through the trash bin,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqgzTSfszQ
pulling out a few newspapers—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD56cIcqv3k
but they were too damaged.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbeAnSDOxh
He tossed them back in and kept looking.
The paper was damp, some pages blackened at the corners.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEciNVLQY8
Others had mystery stains—maybe sauce, maybe shoe prints.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPg1Nz2rGw
Todd frowned as he searched,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFc7dN9YZlM
his fingers long since used to the grime.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaohjIhOCbY
What mattered was whether the paper was still readable.
The girl watched for a few seconds, then joined in.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbL28z7cye
Her movements were much gentler than his.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4W9aQjE4dk
She carefully shifted the piles of paper,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aqaYHnEhJ
her fingertips avoiding the soggy spots and torn edges.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WgeI3TNjV
Then she found one that was mostly intact and handed it to him.
Jason looked down—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMrMfpuRuy
pretty clean.
He grinned,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZL5Vxhqcm3
like a little pirate who’d just uncovered a treasure map.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrC0L9GPm26
He spread the newspaper out fast,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttadwu3qCh
and when he saw the big photo inside,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhXN8uo2ib
his whole face lit up.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJvEWbMLQy
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfbkAAWvAN
And when he said the name “Nana,”106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr12rpkOpR9
she’d nodded.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr054Ys7NW
No sound,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIG057niMkf
but it felt like… agreement.
The girl leaned in,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaciTHYq3e
eyes focused on the image of the masked boy.
In the photo, the teen was leaping from a rooftop, gripping a rope,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdW0pUkmAm
mouth tilted in a smile—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvO2b8ZmDe1
a smile with no fear,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E57G75fTb
as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Jason was thrilled.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOJTfVrVzr
He read the article out loud,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfODoV1yeuq
his voice muttering like he was trying to memorize it.
When he finished,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXWRp1XAk5
he looked up and saw the girl still staring at the picture,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7M4gWgMYo
eyes unmoving.
“You know Robin, right?” Jason asked, hesitant.
She shook her head.
“What?” His eyes went wide.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLnSOyTqvZ
“You don’t? Do you know Batman then?”
The girl paused,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhffLHAR04k
then raised her hands—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iCEqfmaUk
pressed the wrists together,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDwx4pNcHs
moved her palms up and down like wings.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuMtuPPUMR
Then tilted her head at Jason.
Jason blinked.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uIyv3wplo
He actually understood her.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SkYOldSQE
She meant “bat.”106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPRpRhVxbJ
Yeah—she knew bats,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXaN7qYqHi
but not Batman.
“What kind of Gotham kid are you?” he muttered.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSITMp4Pe2u
“Who doesn’t know Batman or Robin?”
He stood up,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudfzWMsoPM
like something had just ignited inside him.
“Alright then.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisPpwLItTJ
Today, I’ll teach you what Gotham pride really means!”
So, next to a broken junkyard,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QfZStIRp4
a boy spent hours explaining.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWpkGWEm0O
He talked with his hands,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpgBnJaxiY
pointed at photos,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rk6F0uvFd
and described those heroes106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLswGn7qoi
like they were friends he’d actually met.
He told her how Batman snuck into criminal hideouts.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CbFeFaHlf
How Robin jumped from the sky and beat up bad guys.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5ehOWtAkF
How Gotham’s nights weren’t as scary106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklOK5zhSAd
because of those two shadows.
Jason’s voice grew louder,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcxSJnWhtz
like he was reciting a hymn—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho8aUKveY3
a secret anthem only he could sing.
Finally, he wrapped it up with a clear, confident summary:
“So basically, Robin is Batman’s partner.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwDlqQgNFD
They protect people.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uBuuQKbOa
They make sure the bad guys end up in jail.”
The girl nodded.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmljdXk6EnC
She looked at the photo again,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofi76DDK6i
pointed to it,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgOO7xYPml
then moved her hands—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvMNfoQIQT
one high, one low—opening and closing,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmV5a4g1Gl
then pointed at Jason.
Jason watched,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISmVftah6q
and got it.
“No one knows who Robin really is, Nana,”106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡak5kl6LPvH
he said in a hushed tone,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyEnaXNhbJ
like sharing a secret.
I’m skinny. Small. I don’t even know what I’ll eat for dinner.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLEBhSxUav
I’m like a rat in the sewer. Batman wouldn’t even look at me.
Then Nana looked at him,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNXPkskPnx
and raised one hand over his head,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguTKPUvvWq
as if measuring his height.
Jason glanced up,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eIA5ldB04
saw how little space there was between her hand and his head.
He laughed a little,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgc4B1YorJ
then looked away.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94X2Knqe2b
“…Thanks, Nana.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrRLsDpoZZ
But Robin’s someone else. I’m not him.”
His voice had a pinch of bitterness,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw7xBsJN9w
a bit of tough-boy bravado.
Wind whistled through the cracks in the rusty tin sheets,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ASUAAAtPd
rustling the edge of the newspaper.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyOhqAPguI
It fluttered like a bird trying to fly,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeghK0CSvks
but nailed to the ground.
As the two kids grew closer,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8jND3YfxK
they began to share more and more of their world.
At school, no one dared to mess with Jason—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcobR5jMr2
he was known as the most vicious fighter when pushed.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeh3n73sPhJ
And with Nana always beside him,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNkrcEkSCR
no one really wanted to bother her either.
Jason even went to the library106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0a8RbUjNN
and borrowed a beginner’s sign language book.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvtiJIkQrm
He specifically asked the librarian if it was the easiest one—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO82gUM0NKX
said it was for a “friend” to learn.
He practiced the signs,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaxFOKaJco
made Nana do them with him.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdLQ8i3CHG
Paper and pencil were slow,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBFcqtazYZ
and hard to come by.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0kqU65JaG
You didn’t often find writing supplies in trash heaps.
Something happened when Nana saw the book.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzg7GqAgh7
Her mouth opened slightly,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MYFmTJadI
her eyes widened round.
“What?” Jason teased.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRrbHwFzYH
“You’re not about to tell me you can actually talk, are you?”
His tone was half joking,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tnRmcLYPZ
half hoping.
But he’d already looked down,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMQE4FNmAu
flipping to the first page.
He didn’t really catch the look on her face.
Nana looked guilty.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS2Q5c6xSm
Her lips moved just a little—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2au02QO4z
then slowly closed again.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSZSDnFBnQ
It was like she tried to speak,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75XfjiDfzq
but swallowed it back.
Jason noticed nothing.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ib2H9aaTM
He simply handed the book to her.
“First page’s about greetings. Pretty easy.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMCh2PK1Xs
Let’s try it together.”
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wZMI3b4EQ
One day, the church was holding a funeral.
The two kids sat across the street, watching.
The weather had been freezing lately—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ou1Hru46G
cold like Gotham’s night had fallen from the sky and refused to leave.
Many homeless people had died from the cold.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZqdfsrl45
The bodies lined the sidewalks,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RLcu7GC3r
covered in simple cloths,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfCuPJJ2YI
waiting to be taken to the public graveyard.
The two kids weren’t scared at all.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScJe7HAjir
They’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPOFxrP9Gu
worse, even.
They didn’t watch in fear.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWoOVECwg3
More like quiet observers.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ny4zgLbU0
Like watching pigeons scavenge crumbs in the street.
Then they saw a nun.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgc8OR10eR
She was holding a large bundle of white lilies.
One by one,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQRhdousa0
she placed a flower on each chest.
The row of white flowers looked like a final, unified symbol for the dead.
Jason watched carefully.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzPe8wvlhq
From the way the nun approached,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnZ3IlOOKm
to how she placed each flower,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHJHOMvlKR
to the way she gently straightened the edges of the cloth.
Nana watched too.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM39UHgmb52
Then turned and pointed at her own chest.
Jason shook his head,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXHb4XOvTb
then started signing.
His fingers moved slightly faster than usual—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcFhVNl4q0
there was a hint of emotion106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMF25gJR1n8
he didn’t normally show.
“Don’t you think…106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AuChWwyV3
it’s kind of nice, having a flower after you die?”
He traced the shape of a blooming flower in the air,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMsRAAmduY
then tapped his chest again.
“Even if the dead can’t know,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSaTwxYVyW
it means someone remembered106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDLFHAUdqN
you once lived.”
The girl looked down.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7XXmoGMi2
Thought for a second.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpV9Nb5zV2
Then signed something back.
Jason’s face froze.
“Thanks,” he signed back, a bit forcefully.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRlBewGvl9
“Thanks for remembering to bring me a flower.”
He gritted his teeth.
Idiot.
The girl pressed her lips together,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTsheE6uKf
and quickly signed back:106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfXxvmbARh
“You’re welcome.”
Jason snorted through his nose,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvdoKTWT7G
like he didn’t want to show he cared—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCzLqsjCKE
but still kept signing:
“Then I don’t want lilies.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2FTjsgplh
I want white roses.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5zyT8S3X9
I like white roses.”
His fingers slowly drew the spiral of a rose,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNm5jOhGcIe
carefully,106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDun3EBHdFu
deliberately—106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSV5ECjyJbc
as if a real flower was blooming from his hand.
Pure white.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1p7MneaQF
Without thorns.
and then Add to home screen.