Snippet Twelve: At Hale's Farm

The weather was crisp with a hint of winter in the air.  Dean was staring out the window watching the fields go by.  John had Metallica playing on the cassette deck.

In the back seat, Castiel watched the man and son.  Dean was listening intently to the music.  The angel frowned.  Since he had to guard the child, he hoped for a more eclectic taste.  Metallica at almost age three was a frightening thought.

John turned left off the highway onto a gravel road.  He drove slower and they arrived at the farm fifteen minutes later.  Dean jumped out of the car with angel right behind him. John was not far behind, calling to his son to stay with him. The place had the look of neglect.  The older Winchester frowned. An elderly woman came out of the house and walked towards the two Winchesters.

“May I help you?”

“Yes, Ma’am.  I was told you had live turkeys and that you had a machine that plucked, cleaned, and processed them.”

“I do, but Mr. Hale is in the hospital and has been for two months.  He had a massive heart attack, followed by a stroke.  I will not kill the birds.  You want one?  I’ll loan you a rifle and you kill it.  I’ll do the rest.”

John Winchester smiled and looked down at his blond haired son.  This should be an experience for the boy.

Castiel stood with his eyes opened wide and thought, ‘Are you insane?’

Mrs. Hale handed the man a rifle.  He grinned and started walking towards the large area where the turkeys were kept.  He called to the young boy to follow. Dean followed his father into a very large penned in area.  It had to cover several acres of land.  They walked for a while.  Dean spotted the hen first and pointed to his father.

“Daddy, a big bird!”

John aimed the rifle and shot and killed the hen.  Dean ran towards it and stopped when he got closer.  There was a large hole in the head of the bird and it lay on the ground, lifeless.  He turned towards his father.

“The bird not moving, Daddy.”

“That’s right, Son,” John called to him as he walked towards Dean and the dead turkey hen.

 

At that moment a large tom ran out into the field, straight towards Dean. The bird was huge and the young boy, stood frozen, unable to move at all.

“Dean!”  John started running towards his son.  He aimed the rifle and fired over the head of the turkey.  The second shot brought the bird down as it hit his son.  Dean lay on the ground with a large dead turkey on top of him.  He started screaming.  John ran up and pulled the big bird off the boy.

“You all right?” John moved experienced hands over the boy, checking for injuries.  The younger Winchester just nodded yes. 

“Then quit screaming, Dean,” the older man told him.  He handed the rifle to the boy and told him not to point it at anything.  John hauled in the two turkeys.

Mrs. Hale kept the tom and prepared the hen for John.  He paid her and put the large bird in the trunk of the car.  Dean just stared at it.  The angel was upset with the man, and did not understand why Father stopped him at the last minute.  He would have pulled the boy out of harm’s way. He questioned it on the way home.

“You may not interfere in such ways, Castiel.  Little things that are not noticed will be permitted, but that would have allowed everyone to know you are here watching him.  It must not be known.  Not now.”

Castiel did not understand but did not question further.

  He was concerned about the quiet and stillness in his young charge.