Colourful watercolour-style tattoo of a cross with the word Faith in black script and a dove, on the inner forearm.

Watercolour cross with Faith script on a wrist

Forearm · Colour · Photo

A cross filled with blue shading sits on the inner forearm, with the word Faith written across it in black script. A small outlined dove appears at the upper right, and dots and star-like marks surround the design. Soft blue, purple and orange splashes fill the background, with the black outlines giving the piece a defined edge.

Forearm Cross Faith Dove Script Splashes Star

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Tom,

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The thaw came in the night and the beck is loud enough to wake the dogs. Mam says you are not to worry about the lambing, that Dad and I have it in hand, but I want you to know the blue paint finally arrived from Kendal, the good stuff, the tin you said to buy for the hayloft door. I painted the cross on the barn gate yesterday like you asked, though it came out crooked, with the upright leaning toward the bull pen. Dad laughed until he had to sit on the water trough.

Then I went over the top rail with a rag to wipe off the worst of it, and the paint ran into the grain, blue and violet, with a bit of orange where the low sun caught it. I thought, well, that's how Granny would have done it, letting the colour go where it likes. I wrote the word FAITH underneath in black because the black tin was the only one with any shine left, and Dad said it looked like a shop sign for the Methodists.

Today a dove came down on the gatepost while I was counting ewes. White, with mud on one wing, and it just sat there as if it had been sent with a message and was waiting for the postman. I had nothing to give it, so I told it about you.

Come home at Easter if the roads clear. The gate is still wet, so mind your sleeve.

Love, Nell