Black line drawing of a stylised face in a curved outline with a handwritten quote beneath it reading I do not let my insecurities overtake me.

Abstract face line drawing with quote

Black and grey · Flash

The drawing shows a stylised face or profile made from bold and thin black strokes, with a curved outline, a small open circle for an eye and a single vertical line below it. A handwritten caption in black sits underneath, reading I do not let my insecurities overtake me. The image is black and white with no shading, and the composition is centred on a plain white background.

Face Profile Lettering Quote Line drawing

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

The queue at the Calais gate has not moved since six, and the lorry ahead of you keeps its hazards blinking like a pulse that will not settle. You wind the window down an inch. The cab smells of diesel, and the coffee from the last services has gone cold in its cup. Your papers lie face up on the dashboard, with the folded manifest beside them, its corners soft from handling.

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A white van swings out of the far lane, its driver certain the queue was made for other people. He noses along the hard shoulder with the horn going until the officer in the high-vis jacket steps into his path, one palm raised, a torch she does not need to switch on. The van reverses without a word. You almost laugh. You have been that driver, leaning on the horn, convinced that speed is the only thing that counts at a border.

When your turn comes, the officer is Ines, who has checked your paperwork for six winters and always asks about the weather over the Channel. She stamps the manifest, hands it back, and says the crossing is quiet tonight, so you could take the long way round the harbour if you fancy it. You do not take the long way. You take the straight road at walking pace, past the van now parked sulkily against the fence.

Ahead, the barrier lifts slowly, like a raised eyebrow, and the road opens out pale under the lamps. Nobody is hurrying you now, and the sea is breathing somewhere to your left.