Soul Crossing
By Web Bard (copyright 12/2000)
Part 13
After the Christmas lunch, Reese and Beth decided to drive to New Potidaea. Being curious about her own ancestry, Beth researched the area only to find that there were not as many ruins as there were in Amphipolis. The ancient city, for the most part, was covered with buildings built directly over the ruins of the old Potidaea. As the car approached the perimeter of the city, it passed by rocky cliffs overlooking the sea.
"Can we stop here for a few minutes?" A warm, yet unfamiliar feeling moved through Beth’s soul. She took a deep breath and placed her hand over her heart.
"You bet," said Reese as she pulled the car to a stop.
Taking her lover by the hand, Beth walked closer to the cliffs.
"If you think I’m letting go of your hand anytime soon," said Reese. "You can forget it. The last time you were next to a cliff, you almost fell into the Grand Canyon."
The young blond smiled and wrapped both arms around her best friend. She gazed out at the sea and watched the blue and green water splash up against the rocks. "It’s so beautiful here."
"Yes, it is," said Reese. Turning her friend’s face up to hers, she studied the misty green eyes. "Sweetheart? Are you okay? You’re so quiet."
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
"I’m okay, I promise," said Beth, as she pulled closer to her companion. "I just had one of those funny feelings again when we got closer to the cliffs. Remember when we stopped at the tombs in Amphopilis? It’s not exactly the same feeling. It’s more like someone was pulling me to come to the cliffs. But it was warm, almost friendly. Weird, huh?"
Looking down at her partner, Reese decided to follow through on a promise she had made to herself in Athens. She wrapped her arms under Beth’s and began to swing her around in a circle. "Hello world," she shouted. "This is the woman I love!"
Beth began to giggle as the two women moved in circles next to the cliff. "Be careful, honey, we’re really close to the edge."
"Well, at least if we fall over," said Reese. "We’ll be together."
The lovers stopped the circle dance, dropped to their knees and tried to catch their breath. Beth stood first and walked back toward the cliff. This is the place. I can feel it. Something special happened here. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh sea air. A warm hand on her back startled her.
"Didn’t mean to scare you," said Reese. "You’re worrying me to death. Why do you keep walking back to the edge of the cliff?"
"Something happened here. Something very special. I just can’t shake the feeling I have when I stand here."
Mamme sat in the rocking chair next to the fireplace with her hands cupped around a warm mug of coffee. She closed her eyes and began to rock back and forth. A sudden jolt of energy ran through her veins and she abruptly stopped the chair from moving. They must be at the clifts. Surely Beth is feeling the pull of the sea by now. She could tell by the way her granddaughter and the young blonde reacted to their gifts that the connection they all shared was running through their souls even stronger now. Mamme closed her eyes and began to once again move the rocker back and forth. They will find their path home. Generations of ancestors are lighting the way.
"Please come away from the edge," pleaded Reese as she tugged at lover’s hand.
Turning abruptly, Beth placed her hand on the taller woman’s shoulder. "Can we have the ceremony here?"
"Here? Next to the cliffs?"
"I know it sounds crazy," said Beth as she looked intently into the steel blue eyes gazing down at her. "But the longer I stand right here, the more I know that this is where our commitment ceremony should be."
"You feel strongly about this don’t you?" Reese cupped her friend’s face in her hands.
"I feel like something or someone is drawing us here for a reason," said the young blonde.
"Then, this is where we’ll have the ceremony." Reese leaned down to softly kiss her partner. "You know, I’m starting to feel some of those strange feelings now, too. But like you said, these aren’t scary feelings like we felt at the tombs. It’s something warmer. Friendlier."
"Will Mamme help us with the ceremony?" Beth moved her arms up around Reese’s neck.
"Are you kidding me? She’s probably planned every detail since we left her a few hours ago. I hope you don’t mind that she wants to be a big part of our ceremony."
"Mind?" Beth smiled. "I insist. But she knows something that she’s not sharing with us, doesn’t she?"
"I think it has something to do with the tombs, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Did you see her after we opened our gifts this morning? She kept looking at Pappos like she’d seen a ghost." Reese placed her arms around her partner’s waist and pulled her closer. I’ll talk to my grandmother when we get back tonight. She’s definitely keeping something from me.
After touring the city of Potidaea, the two women returned to the inn in Amphipolis. Mamme was sitting at the table taking notes when Reese and Beth walked in the door.
"Hello, my darlings," said the petite grandmother as she walked over to the couple. She kissed each woman on the cheek and invited them to join her at the table.
"We’ve decided on a place for the ceremony," said Beth as she looked into the blue eyes of the older woman.
"We found some beautiful cliffs by the sea near Potidaea," added Reese. She reached for her partner’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "Have you ever seen them Mamme?"
"Yes, love," said the older woman. "Your Pappos proposed to me at the cliffs. You didn’t know that did you?"
Her grandmother was full of surprises. That had to be the connection she and Beth were feeling. Things were starting to make more sense now. "It’s very beautiful there. I can see why Pappos picked such a place to propose to you."
"I’m just curious, Beth," said the older woman. "Did you feel something special when you saw the cliffs for the first time today?"
"Yes, I did," said the young blonde. "How did you know?"
"Oh, just a guess," said the grandmother with a smile. "You were so close to where your ancestors are from, I just thought you might have felt a little something different when you arrived there."
Beth gave the older woman a puzzled look. What are you keeping from us Mamme? What secrets lie behind those familiar blue eyes?
To be continued…