Neo-trad style tattoo of a shaded grey skull with a red polka-dot bow and heart-shaped eyes, crossed with scissors and the script words I Run with Scissors, on the thigh.

Skull and scissors with script on a thigh

Neo-trad · Thigh · Mixed · Photo

A grey-shaded skull wearing a red polka-dot bow sits over crossed silver scissors, with heart-shaped eyes and cheek marks in red. Black script reading I Run with Scissors arcs around the skull on both sides. The skull uses soft grey shading and bold black outlines, while the red bow and hearts add the only colour.

Neo-trad Lettering Thigh Skull Scissors Bow Polka dot Heart Script

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Nell,

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You'll not believe the night I've had. Mr Okafor's shop shut at six, but Ada Fenn stayed behind to finish the bridesmaid hems, and at half nine the bell over the door went and it was Dolores from the launderette, soaked through, holding a torn velvet coat as if it were a drowned cat. Ada took one look, reached for the big shears, and told me to fetch the good thread. I said, Ada, you'll cut yourself. She said, I've been running with these since before your mother was born, love, and I'm not stopping now.

Half an hour later the coat was whole, Dolores was dancing around the counter in her stockings, and Ada had a red polka-dot scarf knotted at the back of her head like a pirate queen. She keeps a little tin skull on the windowsill, painted by her grandson, with heart-shaped holes for eyes. She tied a bow on it that night, as a joke, and it stayed there.

I'm writing this by the lamp at the back of the shop, and the rain has come on hard. The skull grins at me from the sill, and the shears hang crossed beside it on their nail. Ada says they've never once drawn blood on her, only on the ones who had it coming. I don't know if she's joking. She does a good line in joking.

Love, Ivy