Always lettering with Deathly Hallows symbols
Lettering · Upper arm · Black and grey · Photo
The tattoo reads Always, with each letter replaced or built from a bold symbol: a triangle with a circle and vertical line, a wand, a ring-and-line figure, and a lightning-style stroke. The linework is solid black with smooth, even edges and no shading. The design runs horizontally across the upper arm, photographed against a pale skin tone and a softly lit room.
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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction
Tom, the lock at Hatton took us a day longer than Dad promised, and the boat groaned up every chamber like an old man on stairs. I've kept the three things he left in the tiller box, as you asked, though I still don't see why they needed posting. The stone with the hole through it is still wet from the cut. The ash rod is cracked near the top. The brass ring-chain is tangled as ever.
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Aunt Joan came down to the mooring with a kettle and a face like vinegar. She said the stone was a witch's eye and the rod was a poker from a fire that never went out. I told her it was the boat's tally, which is what Dad always said. Every trip he cut a notch in the gunwale for each lock, and a stroke of copper where the water got into the hold. You'll remember the snake pin he polished with his thumb when he was thinking.
On the last night, moored below Braunston, I took the stone to the towpath and held it up to the moon. Through the hole the light made one clean line across the water, and I understood he'd never meant it as a riddle. He meant it as a way of counting home. I left the ring-chain looped on the rail and laid the rod across the cabin roof to dry.
So come up at Easter and bring the snake pin. I've kept the kettle warm and the notches are waiting for you. Your loving sister, Nell.
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