Black Roman numeral XIII lettering tattooed on the back of a bare ankle, above a dark trouser leg.

Roman numeral XIII on an ankle

Lettering · Ankle · Black and grey · Photo

A close side view of a bare ankle and heel showing the Roman numeral XIII in solid black serif lettering. The four characters are set in a line with even spacing and sit on the fleshy part of the heel just below the ankle bone. The skin tone is warm and the background is a blurred tiled floor and dark clothing, which keeps the focus on the small black tattoo.

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Win,

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You will not believe what Mr Pargeter did with the numbers board this week. He had the signwriter repaint the whole lot in Roman, so the dances now run I, II, III up the wall of the ballroom in black serif capitals as tall as a man's forearm. Half the regulars cannot read them and have taken to asking the girl at the cloakroom what number they are on. I told her to say thirteen is the one with the good tune and leave it at that.

Thirteen was always Harold's dance. Every Saturday since the spring he has come up to the rail at the stroke of ten and asked for it, the same waltz, the same girl, Maisie from the glove counter at the Co-op, though she no longer works there. She is at the chapel on Hollis Street now, stitching the hems of bridesmaids. He still waits for the band to find the first note. They never play it in quite the right key, and he never seems to mind.

Last night the band leader, a thin lad called Dougie with a cough, snapped a string halfway through and the whole hall went quiet. Harold stood there holding his hat. Then a girl nobody knew stepped out onto the boards and began to hum it. Nobody danced. We just listened to her carry the tune until Dougie got the string back on.

I went up the ladder afterwards and touched the big XIII with a cloth. The paint was still tacky. Thirteen strokes of the brush for the thirteenth dance, and I thought of you saying you would come up for the summer. Come Saturday. Harold will be at the rail.

Love, Edie

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