Gotham.
The gloomy streets remained shrouded in sparse rain.
Eric held an umbrella as he walked down the street.
Rainwater pooled and flowed across the tiles, reflecting the dim lights.
When his foot came down, water splashed onto his shoes before vanishing in an instant.
After taking two steps, Eric noticed several children sitting on the steps of a run-down shop not far ahead.
They seemed to be homeless children. Dressed in rags and draped in plastic sheets, they huddled together to shelter from the rain.
But the plastic did not seem very effective, and large patches of their clothes were already soaked.
Though their circumstances were bleak, the children were discussing the urban legend that had recently spread through the streets—Batman.
The first to speak was a brown-haired boy. "You know, yesterday, I was over by the docks. I was the only one there at the time, and the weather was just like this. Then a thug attacked me and raised a knife at me. Guys, I was ready for him to finish me off. Then Batman appeared!"
The brown-haired boy sounded excited. "All of a sudden, he was there! Even though I'd never seen him before, I immediately felt like I knew him so well. He was like a shadow, crawling up from the ground. Batman was like a living shadow. Every time a bad guy touched him, his shadow would melt away, then emerge somewhere else."
"Though in the end, that bad guy threw a bomb that nearly deafened me and disappeared."
The brown-haired boy spoke regretfully.
The red-haired girl objected. "He's not a living shadow. Listen, I've got a better story."
"That was yesterday too. I almost got caught by a cop on Rogers Street when a bad guy carrying a box and wearing a jetpack