Black outline butterfly tattoo with looped wings and a purple awareness ribbon at its centre, on the wrist.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Butterfly with purple awareness ribbon

Other · Mixed · Photo

A butterfly drawn in black linework, with looped, open wings and two curved antennae. A purple awareness ribbon sits at the centre of the body, and the wing outlines are filled with skin tone rather than shading. The close crop shows warm-toned skin with the black outline as the dominant ink and the purple ribbon as the only colour.

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Hal,

Keep reading

The swifts have gone from the north tower and the ivy has finally got into the chapel, so I am writing from the gatehouse, where the wind comes through the arrow slits and lifts the pages. You asked me to tell you when the butterflies came back. They came on Tuesday, three of them, pale and ragged, working the buddleia that grows out of the old well. One had a torn wing and still flew at the window as though it had business inside.

I have been watching the one with the mended wing. It goes round the same wide loops every morning, tracing the broken walls, and then it settles on the stone cross by the postern gate and waits there with its antennae swaying, as if it were reading the inscription. I did not tell you that Mrs Pardoe's ribbon is still tied to that cross. She left it there when we buried the bell rope. Purple gone grey in the rain.

On Thursday the butterfly lifted off the cross and went straight to the ribbon, and I swear it settled on the knot. I went out with the ladder and stood very still. I did not touch it. It stayed a full minute before going over the wall.

Come up at the equinox. Bring the good tea and the penknife, and we can take the ribbon down together if you want. I think it has done its job.

Yours, Ned

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