The snowstorm in Gotham had just ended and the weather had warmed up a bit, causing the snow to melt. However, the weather was colder with the melting snow, and the roads were icy, leading most people to opt to stay at home.
In any other city, logistics would definitely have come to a halt at this time, but Gotham's truck drivers were always undeterred by challenges. As soon as the weather improved somewhat, they returned to their work.
However, not all truck drivers were able to get on the road now. A portion of them, like Jack, were stuck at home for a variety of reasons.
The reason why he couldn't work was quite simple. The car accident at the central roundabout not only affected Shiller and the Bruce family but also involved Jack.
He wasn't situated at the center of the roundabout but was waiting at a signal light at one of the junctions. When a green light which was not supposed to light up did, Jack floored the accelerator without a second thought and bolted out.
He knew that it wasn't the real green light, but he just couldn't pass up such a blatant opportunity to play at bumper cars.
However, bumper cars came with its price. The truck he was driving was damaged and couldn't be repaired in a short time. Hence, he had to stay at home.
In an attic apartment on East Elizabeth Street, the stove made from oil drums was gradually going out. Cold wind blew in from the windows. The figure in the bed turned over, smacked his lips, his teeth chattering a bit, but he continued to immerse himself in his dream.
In his dream, he was playing in an enormous amusement park with rides like the rotating bat carousel, bat bumper cars, bat house, and a great bat cave adventure.
Jack sat on the rotating bat carousel, hands clutching the vertical pole at the bat's head, eyes wide open, looking around and laughing. Suddenly, the ride stopped and a voice came over the amusement park's public address system:
"Jack, please come to the service desk, someone is looking for you. Jack, please come to the service desk, someone is looking for you. Repeating again..."
Jack knocked hard on the wooden bat on which he was sitting. Suddenly, a red light lit up at the ticket window. Jack, holding the wooden pole, protested: "I haven't made 10 rotations yet! You can't make me go! I've paid for the ride!"
But, soon enough, he was kicked out. Consequently, he could only trudge forward dejectedly along the amusement park's cobblestone path.
He passed a souvenir shop selling all sorts of Batman puppets, bat lollipops, and drinks with bat images printed on them.
Seeing the shop, Jack suddenly rushed over, made a gun shape with his hand, and pointed it at the deserted counter saying, "Quick! Hand over all the bats! Yes, put your hands on your head and turn around..."
Then slowly, he put his hand down, rushed into the shelves of the store, and took several Batman puppets. Before he left, he grabbed a handful of bat lollipops from the counter, almost tripping over a shelf he had disordered in his haste.
After leaving the shop, he looked around slyly, chuckled, and then frantically unwrapped a lollipop, popped it into his mouth, beamed happily, and moseyed over to the service desk.
The service desk was in the lobby of a building designed to look like a bat about to take flight. Jack entered the bat's gaping mouth, feeling like he was returning home.
In the lobby, there were several claw machines and vending machines, flashing various colors. Jack looked left and right, full of wonder and happiness. In the multicolored lights, his green hair took on a dazzling array of hues.
At the service desk was a figure in a suit waiting in the lounge. When Jack entered, he harshly spoke, "You bastard! I wasted one admission fee because of you, I didn't even get my full 10 rotations!"
That figure turned around- it was Shiller who had come into Jack's dream through the dreamland.
His gaze landed on the three round Batman puppets Jack was holding. Jack noticed his gaze and stepped back cautiously, clutching the three puppets with his arms and said: "What do you want? Buy your own!"
"But I have no bat coins. Where did you get the bat coins to buy these things?"
"I…Once, I met my neighbor, his name is Joe, he's a good man and he gave me a lot of bat coins." Jack spoke quickly with a pouting face.
"Alright, would you be willing to share some with me?"
"No!" Jack squeezed the puppets tightly with his arms until they became slightly deformed. Shiller immediately said, "You're lying. You don't have any bat coins, you didn't buy a ticket. You're a freeloading robber."
"I didn't! I didn't!" Jack shook his head like a wave drum. He looked at the ceiling whistling, eyes rolling upwards, turning round and round, as if he didn't understand a word Shiller was saying.
"If you don't have a ticket, you shouldn't be in the amusement park."
"I have no idea what you're talking about! Shut up!" Jack yelled loudly, but the surrounding scene still slowly faded away until it turned into a unified white space.
With a 'bang', the Batman puppets in his hands also disappeared. Jack looked dejectedly at the air in his embrace.
However, he didn't seem to realize that the puppets were gone. He continued tightly wrapping his arms around himself and melodramatically exclaimed, "Oh, my children. My John, Shack, and Little Jack. I know you are just off to school…"
"Stop playing dumb." Shiller said with a bit of disdain, "Your Batman is fluttering out in the real world with someone else."
Jack slowly eased his movements. He slowly placed his arms down, pouted his lips and pulled the corners of his mouth down hard.
"How do you find the dream? Consider it as a welcome gift from me. As long as you help me with a little favor, I'll replenish sufficient 'bat coins' for you so that you can have your fill of fun at the amusement park." Shiller said.
Jack shook his head and said, "This is exactly what you successful people do. You exploit your success to drain money from poor people like us. And that's not all. You also drain our time."
With that, he pulled his mouth into a strange grin. Shiller didn't pay mind to this unusual expression. He summoned a chair for himself and conjured up a bonfire before him. Jack simply sat on the ground, stretching out his hands to warm them by the fire.
There was not a trace of madness on his face. On the contrary, when entranced by the leaping flames, he exuded the demeanor of a philosopher. He began to speak calmly.
"Do you know? This winter has been tough for me because too many people are laughing just like me."
"I have joined them, trying to see what they're laughing about. Whatever they said disgusted me."
"They said they made money, bought houses, and were about to move. I thought, alright, you all can go! These disgusting rats in the sewer..."
"They also dislike me, I know, because I used to be the happiest one among them. No matter what happened, I was always laughing."
A trace of sorrow suddenly appeared on Jack's face. He said, "If a Joker can't be the happiest one in the crowd, he's not a good Joker."
"A lousy Joker can't make Batman laugh. That's why he left this place, and I can't find him anywhere..."
Jack jutted his jaw forward, causing his lower lip to force his upper lip upwards. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, in a manner reminiscent of a child about to burst into tears.
Shiller reached out a hand and said, "Stop, don't cry."
"Can you let me finish first? Aren't I about to bring you news about Batman? If you don't want to hear it, I'll just leave now."
Jack emitted a "pfft" sound, raised his hand, and vigorously rubbed his face. Then he looked at Shiller with an expectant gaze. The glow of the flame reflected in his eyes, bestowing upon them a childlike innocence that made them shimmer brightly.
"You should know that he's gone to Metropolis where he found two friends who share a strong bond with him. One is named Lex and the other is called Clark."
"Of course, I don't know if he'd forget his old friend Jack by staying there a bit longer. But I think, you could also reunite with him there. He wouldn't mind."
The expectant look on Jack's face gradually faded. He sneered, "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"
He showed a bored expression, then said, "Of course, I know where he's gone and what he's doing there. But it's all so boring…"
He shook his head and continued, "Attending a boring dinner, involving myself in a dull murder case, engaging in tedious deductions, fighting boring enemies in that exceedingly dull place called Metropolis..."
"What would I do there? What's there to play with? Are you suggesting that I play the old trick of kidnapping ordinary people to coax Batman out? I'm already sick of that."
"Aren't you too picky?" Shiller picked up a piece of firewood and tossed it into the bonfire. He sighed with some frustration and said, "Alright, let me put it another way…"
"Batman has gone to Metropolis where he has met two individuals who might either be his future closest friends, or his mortal enemies."
"As of now, their relationship is still unclear. The fate of these three depends on who is going to rock the boat…"
Jack's eyes immediately lit up. He turned his head, staring at Shiller. Shiller didn't look at him, but simply stated,
"I know what you're thinking. Why don't I do it myself? Let me make it clear. All I want to do now is sleep."
Suddenly, Jack seemed to be filled with excitement. His mouth quivered uncontrollably as he beamed. He rubbed his hands energetically, followed by his arms, and then said, "I could play the part of a villain, right?"
"I could help promote their friendship, and when one of them betrays Batman, I could go kill him. Batman would be so thrilled!"
Jack was lost in his own dream-like world - staring fixedly at the flickering fire before him, seeing countless beautiful fantasies.
He saw himself living in a bat castle, surrounded by a massive bat amusement park. Batman, with a serious expression, was lashing out at him atop a float in the amusement park. Around them, the crowd was cheering and applauding. Batman was finally about to laugh... Finally...
Jack stared fixedly at the leaping flames in the bonfire before him. As the flames began to subside, he promptly added a log to the fire, trying to keep Batman in his vision. The fire grew stronger, as bright as daylight. Batman seemed nobler than ever today.
Just like that, Jack felt himself flying higher and higher...
Of course, unlike the Little Match Girl, he didn't freeze to death on New Year's Eve. Instead, he jolted awake from his dream, sitting up in bed.
A dejected expression crossed his face. He stared blankly for a while, frantically clutching his pillow and twisting it while murmuring curses under his breath.
Suddenly, he froze again, lurched out of bed, and staggered towards the window.
The expansive snowy landscape reflected the dawn's light onto his face. Under this incredibly bright light, he slowly grinned, revealing an expression filled with hope.