Dani Clifton

Excerpt from “Crossroad Soul” (working title)

Posted by dani on May 29 2008

I stormed from the pub and out into the night, slamming the decrepit door behind me with a thunderous impact that shook chips of faded red paint from the weathered wood.  My hand barely slipped from the aged bronze handle when something glass shattered against the door from the other side.  My head may or may not have been the target; one never knows with Gunnar.  His fury chased me down the sidewalk in a torrent of Gaelic expletives.  I don’t speak the language but I did recognize a few of the phrases and none of them you’d utter in the presence of your mother.   

A wisp of breeze blew in off the water and rolled across the shipyard, carrying with it the slight tang of saltwater mingled with creosote and diesel fuel.  My breath rose in silver curls as I exhaled hotly.  The warm, blanketed flush and myriad hues of Seattle’s city center were in sharp contrast to the monotonous spots of illumination the street lamps provided.  The deserted sidewalk took me in the direction of downtown though I had no particular destination in mind.  Then again, there is no place like home.  My only goal was to gain a measureable distance between me and the temperamental shape-shifter before one of us said or did something that we’d both regret.

A thin drizzle fell to complement the cool, damp Seattle air.  I pulled the collar of my jacket up against the night but clammy fingers still found their way into my clothes and probed at my flesh like a drunken date.  An involuntary shiver raised the hairs on the back of my neck and goose bumps along my arms.  I jammed both hands into my pockets and wished I’d had the foresight to call a cab before my shift ended.

Gunnar and I aren’t so tight these days; too many unspoken words wedged between us.  Maybe I set myself up for tonight’s inevitable fight.  At least it brought some things out into the open.  Nobody has ever had the effect on me that Gunnar has.  Is it karma or simple twist of fate?  Maybe God just has it out for me.

Gunnar and I are soul twins – each of us is one half of a whole soul which in and of itself is surreal.  What’s more insane is that I am mortal and he is an ageless, timeless immortal.  Nevertheless one shouldn’t be drawn into the idealistic rainbow fantasy of soul mates because the truth would never become a Hallmark moment.  We have a volatile relationship at best - connected for eternity by a soul and I can’t live with him.  As a human I die and am reborn and Gunnar finds me each time I reincarnate.  So I cannot, apparently, live without him.   

The Universe has a damned twisted sense of humor.