Gary Leonard Oldman

I've no idea what I've done to deserve this but I now have found a perfect pictorial representation of the Hollis Family farm in layout. I'll admit that I envisioned a much older farm house on the property but hey, I'll take it. Good lord maybe I should play the lottery? I know at times I'd give my eye teeth to move away from the tiny town I call home but I find myself drawn to small towns and honestly, if I had the money I'd make an offer on this place. But, I don't ( and honestly probably never will ). I also have to wonder why they're just selling everything, includicing the farming equipment because that sort of thing is very expensive? It's almost bitter sweet.

https://www.landandfarm.com/property/Land_For_Sale_Rush_County_IN_House_Farm_Equipment_24_Acres-9444360/

I think your soul colour is absolutely spot on for you judging by that description! That describes you to a tee and there's no part of it I don't agree with. I expected to get the same sort of colour, but I ended up with purple, which I'm not at all bothered by as that's also my favourite colour and also describes me perfectly well;

Those who bear a purple soulcolor are responsible, conforming, and grounded. They prefer predictability over instability and do not take to change well. They prefer to follow a daily schedule to keep themselves motivated and on the path to success, and they don’t stray from their daily chores often.  While they don’t like conforming to society, they also don’t like to stand out.

History and tradition are a big part of their identity. They hold family close to their heart, whether they are found or by blood, and have a high moral standard of themselves. They prefer to be supporting roles in people’s lives, often doing the hard labor to make sure everything falls in place.

Since this is a serving type, they tend to become community service members and are most likely to volunteer to help their community. Despite their need to help others, they are highly introverted and keep a close closed off circle of friends. It’s hard to break through their wall to become part of their circle, but it’s rewarding.

Purple soulcolors are always worried about the “what ifs” and are more drawn to pessimistic or realistic outlooks on life. They are cautious around new situations and never expect they’ll succeed. They often feel misunderstood by society, since most types tend to lean on the optimistic side of life, and only want to point out things that may hurt others, but this causes them to appear like the “party pooper” of the group.

I've been writing to distract myself. This was the end result. Inspired partially by the song Miss Atomic Bomb by The Killers and I Drove All Night by Roy Orbison

“Did you see the new guy at Quinn’s Hardware? My Dad said his family just moved into the place over on the end of street.”

Normally the mention of new neighbors didn’t hold much interest for Colleen but she had spotted the new kid in town at Quinn’s while she had gone to pick up some anchor rope for her father. He had smiled at her and she felt like she might melt right there.  She had returned his smile with a shy one of her own as her face turned a bright shade of red.

“Saw you makin’ eyes at the Murphy girl, Halladay. Don’t go makin’ a name for yourself in this town because her Daddy’ll have your head if try anything with her.

Fair warnings had never been Jason Halladay’s thing.


“Colly open the window!”

It had taken him all of a week to ask the pretty dark haired girl out on a date. To his shock she had accepted and they went to the only spot in town that catered to the town’s teenage crowd and stayed open during the summer months. The local custard stand overlooking Good Harbor beach. It had taken just as long to clamber up the trellis and over onto the branch of the massive oak tree  that lead to her bedroom window on the second floor. She greeted him with the same shy smile she always did as she opened the window.

“You could have used the front door, y’know. My Dad’s over in Annisquam for the next two weeks.”

“Takes all the fun out of doing this.”

He pulled her in for a kiss and groaned as her hands fluttered across his shirt mapping a trail of heat across his chest.  They shared many things in that bedroom with it’s pale pink walls and white wicker furniture. Heartfelt dreams, stupid stories from their childhoods, fears for the future. They had become much closer than either of them had expected to become and had delved into uncharted waters of teenage love as well as lust. That bedroom was their own little bubble of perfection. Many hours passed into the hot summer nights as they explored one another, ultimately becoming each others first. The soundtrack to their intimate moments and everything in between was usually the call of a fog horn off the eastern coast of the island or whatever was on the top 40 countdown with Casey Kasem.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

With time though, even the strongest of soap bubbles has to burst. Theirs did one hot day in August when her father came clambering up the stairs after a night out drinking away the memory of Colleen’s mother. He found them draped over each other covered only by the sheets that matched the color of her bedroom walls both bathed in the soft light of the new morning. Fists flew and blood was shed into the taupe carpet set to the sound of chirping birds and the crunch of bone before Colleen was called every name in the book and yanked up from her bed roughly by the arm. They were barred from seeing one another and her window had been boarded up. The first few weeks of September he spotted her around town and then it was like she vanished. He drove by her house and knew that her father still lived there. Jason had dared to come in through the backdoor and sneak up into the bedroom while Jimmy had been out on a bender only to find that the room was bare. Only the bed and the bloodstain he had left remained. Not one sign of his girl though. He finally bit back his pride and stopped by her best friend’s house to ask just what the hell had happened.

“She’s living with her aunt Minnie in Illinois, Jason. He sent her away.”

“Why the hell would he do that? She’s over the age of 18 for Christ’s sake!”

“She told me to give you this before she left. She told me to tell you to open down on Good Harbor beach…your spot she said.”

The doe eyed brunette said as she passed him a small box and an envelope. She gave him a farewell hug before he took off back to his car. He had never raced against daylight until that moment. For a split second he could almost see her running along the beach and playing in the surf as the tide rolled. They had idled away many an afternoon that summer running and playing along the sand dunes. Parked out overlooking the beach he fumbled to open the box. Inside was an address of her aunt and a tiny grainy photograph of something resembling a large kidney bean.

‘Come and find us.’

Written on the back in black felt tip with the day only about a month ago.  He hurried home, packed a bag and drove nearly all night before he pulled up into the driveway of a sedate looking ranch style home. He watched as the porch light came on and she walked out into the chilly evening her oversized cardigan wrapped around her and the same shy smile on her face.

“Took you long enough, Halladay.”

“Well, I drove all night to get here. Your aunt’s not gonna come out here and beat me senseless like your dad did…is she?”

“No, she’s actually waiting in the house with coffee and pound cake. We even set the up he guest room for you.”

A grin spread across Jason’s face. She hadn’t stopped loving him after all.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

A/N: I don't own the Supernatural verse or Dean Winchester or the characters from Gunsmoke. Good lord knows I'd be rolling in dough if I did but alas, they belong to Kripke and Misters Meston and MacDonnell . I'm just borrowing them to play with. I make nothing from this writing.

Songs Used for Inspiration: Lonely Eyes - Chris Young & Should've Been A Cowboy - Toby Keith




“Hey Colly, it’s Mom. Just wanted to check up on you and make sure you’re driving safe. Stocked your freezer and did your laundry. Be safe. I love you.”

“Hey darlin', just wanted to tell you that I’m on my way home. Truck got a flat outside town but it’s patched. Save me a plate, huh? Love you and I’ll be home soon.”

Green eyes gazed down at the phone in her hands one more time as she tapped replay. Tonight in this no tell motel along the interstate she needed to hear the voices of the two people she loved the most. She was battered and bruised and covered in ash from job that was supposed to be so easy but had very nearly killed her. Salt and burn, yeah right. Damn thing was a ghoul. Took three tries but she’d gotten rid of the damn thing. That was the last time she covered for Bobby Singer ever again. Rain pattered against the window catching the glow of the neon sign outside. Every muscle she had ached, she was in dire need of a drink and it had dawned on her as she slumped behind the wheel of her beat up pick up at today was her mother’s birthday. She should have been back home with her but no, Colleen had been out on a job in Kentucky. Colleen was on a trail of some werewolf as her mother lay in that hospice bed fighting to breathe through the pain her pack a day habit had caused. She should have been the one to hold Eileen’s hand and not some night shift nurse.  She hadn’t even been given the chance to talk to her one last time before she took her final breathe. The message of her mother’s passing had gone straight to Col’s voice mail as she took one final shot at the mass of drooling rabid werewolf. She’d taken it’s tail as a souvenir and it now dangled somewhat morbidly from her rearview mirror along with her mother’s rosary and the tiny bottle of holy water from her best friend Helene and Buddy’s wedding ring on a piece of twine. Reminders of the life she now lived fully. Hunting things and saving people that surely would have thought she was insane had she actually told people what line of work she was in. It was just easier to take her mother’s advice and tell those that asked that she worked for Sire Power sourcing out prized breeding stock. Explained her penchant for dressing simply in jeans and boots and why she still kept Buddy’s pick up on the road.

“I love you both…you know that right? I miss you both so much…”

Curling up into a ball in the middle of the double bed still clothed in faded jeans and some t-shirt she’d picked up along the way. Every inch of her covered in a mixture of dirt, blood and slime. Where the slime came from she didn’t want to know. Tears welled up in her tired eyes once more because she missed her mother. She missed her home. Sadly she didn’t even know where her home was anymore. In the back of her mind she could see the house she grew up so clearly, a worn out clapboard place out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by acres and acres of sweetcorn or wheat depending on what sold the most at market.  She missed both of her homes, Trinity Texas where she had been born and raised and Astwood Tennessee where she had carved out a normal life, with all of her heart but she missed her mother and her husband even more, especially tonight. All the could have beens and should have beens presented themselves to her in her mind’s eye.  But, here she was, trying to keep other safe from the Unknown. The pay wasn’t much but at one time she had loved the thrill of the chase the hunt, the feeling of accomplishing something most other people couldn’t. Especially after she had lost Buddy to that demon five years back, but her story wasn’t much different from most other hunters out there in field.  But the love of the hunt and the thrill of the chase could not be found in her tonight. Perhaps not ever again.  She let out a strangled sob but was startled at a sharp thud against the wall near her head. Resisting the urge to go out and slash the tires on the shiny little mid life crisis car parked next to her she instead eased herself up from the bed and threw the bird to him instead. Shucking off her clothes she stumbled to the bathroom and ended up drowning out the sounds of her sobs in a tepid shower until she was scrubbed raw and smelling strongly of the cheap off brand soap she had taken to packing with her. She caught a good look at herself in the mirror as she changed into clean clothes with the full intention of checking out and moving on to the next job that was in Abilene, not far from where her father was buried, maybe she’d stop by and leave some flowers for him, but the urge for a burger and a beer drew her in like a moth to a flame.  Pulling on her boots and grabbing her purse she let her feet lead the way to the roadhouse across the parking lot. She stepped through the door and found it odd that no one gave her so much as a backward glance. It was only a little after eight, or so the clock said. She chose not to trust a time piece that advertised beer that had gone out of production damn near ten years ago. Checking her cell phone she found it was nearly 8:30. Plopping herself down into a bar stool the barman with a hangdog face shuffled over.

“What can I get you, little lady?”

“Beer and a bacon cheese burger with a side of fries, thanks.”

With a nod her turned and put her order in as an older barmaid with a blonde bouffant pulled her beer from the tap and set it down in front of her.

“Anything else?”

Rifling through her bag for her wallet she pulled out a crumpled twenty. Tonight was a night for all the vices.

“Yeah, can I get a pack of Morley Reds and two shots of Bird Dog?”

“Sure thing. You know that smoking’ll give you wrinkles right?”

“Trust me, in my line of work there are things that’ll get me way before the wrinkles even have time to set in. Keep the change for a tip.”

A quick glance at the barmaid’s name tag proclaimed she was Kaye to the world.

“But that’s nearly a ten dollar tip. You sure?”

“Positive, Kaye.”

“Thank you, sugar.”

Colleen offered a small smile in return as she popped a cigarette into her mouth and lit it. Taking a deep drag she took a few long pulls from her beer and gathered wool for a moment. 

‘What would I have been doing if I wasn’t here trying to slay oogie boogies and things that go bump in the night? It’s Wednesday. I’d probably made meatloaf for dinner and be busy folding laundry maybe be up trying to calm a colicky baby or talking to Mom on the phone.’


“Penny for your thoughts, Tennessee.”

Turning to her right she blinked confused at who was talking to her. Flannel and faded jeans and a smirk that would make God himself want to smack him appraised her. His eyes were a soft deep green and his nose straight despite how many hits he’d taken over the years. She almost didn’t recognize him without a covering of dirt and dust.

“Tennessee?”


"Well, yeah. You're the only ten I see around here."

Inwardly Colleen cringed at the utter cheese of the pick up line she had fallen for. Leave it to her seat mate to make her laugh at the cheesiest line known to man kind. Maybe he could recognize the down vibe that surrounded her. Hunters, she learned were very good judges of character.

“Oh for the love of Christ. I can’t believe I fell for that. What am I supposed to call you? Wisconsin?”

Confusion washed over the green eyed man and she watched as a slight flush settled over his features as realization set in. Colleen offered him her second shot which he accepted with a smile a nod before offering her a glass clink.

“I’ll tell you my name is you tell me yours.”

Knocking back her shot Colleen smiled coyly at him. Two could play this game she decided.

“Kitty Russell. You?”

Her sly smile was returned ten fold as Kaye came out of the kitchens with twinned orders of the roadhouse’s special of the night.


“Matt Dillon. U.S. Marshall.”

“Oh you’re a sly one, Marshall Dillon.”

A twinge at her heart reminded her that Buddy had loved all those old westerns but Gunsmoke had been his favorite. Her fellow hunter knew that after he worked a case with Buddy a few years ago.


“Long time no see, Dean. How’s your brother?”

“Sammy’s good. Resting up back in the room but doing pretty good. Sorry to hear about Buddy.”

It was only then that she noticed Kaye brought out one plate of fries and snagged one for herself before sliding the plate towards her fellow hunter. She prayed that he wouldn’t notice the puffiness around her eyes.

“Thank you. Hard to believe it’s been four years last month. Lost my mother a year ago next week.”

“Doesn’t seem possible that he’s gone. I’m…sorry about your Mom.”

“Thanks, I’d like to think that they’re both up there laughing their asses off and offering advice to me somehow when they see me take a hard hit.”

Her appetite had up and left her so she ended up cutting the behemoth of a burger in half. Offering up the other half of her burger to Dean he offered a nod of thanks. How long had it been since he’d last eaten? Their hands brushed against one another for a moment and lingered. Or felt another person’s touch? She got a good look into his eyes this time around and she recognized that lonely look. She saw it enough in the mirror these days to know it.

‘Starved on both fronts. Like me.’

She thought to herself as she took a sip of her second beer and tackled those thoughts out of her mind. She’d be damned if she let those kinds of things enter her mind. There were plenty of nights she had felt like this and she had made it through. Casting a side long glance at the man to her right he caught her glance and offered her a smile and a shoulder nudge.

“Checkin’ me out...did you go back to your maiden name?"
A sudden blush crept over Dean's features and to the tips of his ears. Colleen almost wished she could snap a photo for Helene back home and get it framed. The unshakeable Dean Winchester was a tad embarrassed.

“It's Walker and yeah, maybe I am checkin' you out. I’ve heard what you’ve said about my ass over the years, Winchester. Repaying the compliment.”

It had almost been worth it seeing him choke on a piece of bacon and oogle her for a moment. Almost.  Thumping him on the back he held up a hand signaling that he was okay.  Something in her heard, God it sounded like her mother, told her to go for it. What did she have to lose? Without Helene and a few of her hunter connections she was didn’t have anyone.

‘Throw those seeds into the wind, girl. See what comes up. Buddy would understand.’

“D…do you wanna get out of here after you’re finished with your food? I’m booked over across the parking lot at that motor lodge…and I don’t really want to be alone tonight.”

A blush crept across her face and to her relief ( and let’s be honest, joy ) Dean nodded. His eyes had glazed over as if he’d won the lottery but he nodded just the same.

“Bobby told me about the case he sent you on. I could check you for scratches.”

‘That’s a new one if ever I’ve heard it.’

“See, now that’s a hunter pick up line. Meet me there in ten minutes. Knock twice.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I am genuinely without words for this piece given the emotion used and the clear display of real life events that have been going on over the months leading up to this being written ❤ I felt every bout of heartache every single one of them was going through in this drabble and that's hard to bring forth in writing, to such an extent that you feel it impacts you on a deeper level just from reading it. I haven't read a piece like this in a long time but it highlights the grieving process and touches on it so tenderly and beautifully, I don't think I have read work from any other writer whom has been able to achieve the same thing while simultaneously taking great care in doing so. My favourite aspect is the way you have written the eldest son into this, his manner of grieving is the one I can relate heavily to and I found a lot of joy in the very end and the way you finished off this emotive piece ❤ I am thoroughly tempted to write something connected to my grandparents as a result of this. I don't think I ever had the confidence before.