Snippets 17: Easter Bunnies and Football

Dean woke up on Easter morning to the sound of church bells.  Most of the churches rang them, but this was not the normal music that was played.  He got on his knees at the window and looked outside.  People were walking down the street towards the Lutheran Church.  The children were dressed in fancy clothing and the women wore flowers on a shoulder. 

He looked across the street at the Montgomery children.  They were out in their yard with baskets, picking up something colorful from the grass.  Easter was not a holiday the family celebrated.  John had never understood Mary’s reasons.  She just said she would rather not.

This Easter, John was taking the family to the park for a picnic. Dean saw the baseball and gloves, but there was a new ball being put into the trunk of the car.

They found their favorite picnic spot and set out the blankets and food.  John and Dean played catch for a while.  Mary relaxed and watched them play, but also had a new book she was reading.  John walked over to the car and got the other ball.  His son stared at it.

“This is a football, Dean.  I’m going to teach you how to throw it like a quarterback would.”

Hazel eyes looked up into the man’s eyes.  The younger Winchester ran to his mom and asked for twenty-five cents.  Mary looked up at John and then back at her son.

“Why do you need twenty-five cents, Dean?”

“Dad wants a quarter back.”

Dean’s mom bit her bottom lip and looked in her purse for a quarter.  She handed it to Dean and he ran back towards his Dad.  John took the offered coin and his shoulders started shaking.  Dean watched his dad turn and walk off.   He looked puzzled as he went back to his mom.

Castiel was laughing.  He really couldn’t help it this time. He never understood why the backs in football had to have strange names. He watched Dean run around looking in the bushes around the park, and remembered that his charge had seen the Montgomery children hunting for Easter eggs.  Castiel felt that Dean should know about Easter, but knew he’d have to wait until Dean was much older before he told him about it.

Dean couldn’t find the colored items the Montgomery children were finding, but when he looked under one bush, a rabbit ran out.  He fell backwards.  Standing up, the young man ran after the bunny, looking for a rabbit hole. 

His father walked up with the football, a grin on his face. 

“Are you ready to toss the ball, Son?”

“I’m lookin’ for a bunny hole.”

“A what?”

“In the cartoon, Alice went down the hole after the bunny.  I just chased one over here.”

“That’s not Alice’s bunny, Dean.  It’s the Easter Bunny."

Dean looked at his dad with a question in his eyes.  John shook his head.

“He doesn’t come to our house.”

The little boy turned towards his mom. 

“Mommy, the bunny doesn’t come to our house.  Did the turkeys tell on us?”