Wayward Home
There is no hope, only chaos as the skies fill with deadly black smoke coming out of the ground. Except it's not just a supernatural fog that can be pacified with open air and time to recover; no, it is something much more unfavorable. The black blanket coating the skies are demons. All demons living in Hell are escaping, and my family and I are right in the middle of the battlefield. But why shouldn't we be?
After all, we were the ones that released them.
My uncle used to tell me that all good things eventually will come to an end. It's not a matter of if, but rather when. They may finish with a bang! Or perhaps come to a close on a peaceful ending note, like one at the end of a long and detailed masterpiece. But over time, I've learned that some endings - the real endings, to sounder stories only end one way: in blood.
The account that will soon be disclosed to you is unlike most things you've probably read in the past. There are werewolves, demons, vampires, and all of the monsters your parents told you never existed. They are real, and boy, are they pissed. It will be preferred if you have time to sit down and read for a while because there's never really a good place to stop once you start.
Our story begins in 2003 on the rolling hills of Colorado, where a young girl, who goes by the name of Dottie Winchester, is getting ready for her first day of Kindergarten.
The sun had just risen over the green and open mountains in Aspen, Colorado. They wouldn't be green for too long as soon the snowfall would disguise them with a shade of white so pure it would be like a heavy mattress spanning over thousands of miles.
A young and delicate head of thick deep curls began to slowly peak out above the covers of her brightly colored quilted blankets. A soft rap at the ivory-colored door made the child duck back under the covers and seek refuge in the warm and safe blankets. A calming and faint male voice called out once more through the thick door, this time cracking it open while speaking.
"Dottie," He whispered, extending the last syllable of her name. The sight that met his eyes nearly melted his heart. Looking over at the bed of his youngest and only daughter, Luke Winchester stifled a laugh but heartily wore a smile. Her body lay buried underneath her mountain of blankets, but in the center of the bed was a clear appearance of Dottie. The sheets atop her lay flat, but she stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of them. "If someone doesn't get up soon, they're going to miss the horseshoe pancakes I made for their first day of school." Luke sat on the bed and slowly peeled the covers back, revealing the now very awake Dottie. "Good morning, my little cowgirl." He said gently to his pride and joy. She gave her Pa a toothy smile and slowly crawled into his arms with her stuffed horse, which she affectionately called Clomp.
"Good morning, Pa." She mumbled into his warm red flannel shirt that smelled just like home; woodchips, hay, and coffee. After a couple of minutes of peaceful silence, Dottie looked up into her father's face with deep sorrow in her juvenile eyes.
"Do I have ta go to school today, Pa? Who will help you take care of the horsies? And, and what if they get lonely all by, by themselves without anyone to talk to?"
Luke beamed at his child. He knew exactly how much she loved animals and was so incredibly joyful that she wanted to care for them so much. He put a finger underneath her chin and brought his face close to hers. "There's nothing to worry about, okay Dot? I promise that I will take care of them today while you're at school."
Dottie sighed but nodded her head in agreement. Then, as if a whole other wave of worry washed over her, Dottie pushed her face into her Pa's so that their noses were touching. "Promise you'll talk to them too, okay, Pa? They like it when you talk to them. Especially Beauty."
This time Luke couldn't help but chuckle. He looked into her innocent bright blue eyes and smiled lovingly, "Yes, ma'am." He reached down and tickled her tummy until only the sounds of her little laughs filled the small and cozy room.
Upon hearing the laughter, another figure appeared at the door of the child's room. Her blonde hair lay tenderly atop her shoulders while her storied filled blue eyes affectionately watched the scene play out in the bedroom. "Pa! Stop pleAaAaAseEe!" Dottie's giggling spread to the faces of the adults until her Pa picked her up and put her into his lap to catch a breath.
The other figure entered the room, with a voice soon following. "You two partners in crime ready for breakfast now, or am I gonna have to drag you all the way downstairs." A soft smile played at her lips as Dottie broke out of her Pa's grasp and leaped at her Ma, who now stood directly beside the bed. "Woahhh, my little outlaw." April's arms surrounded the small figure and landed a small kiss on top of her forehead.
"Good morning, Ma," Dottie replied, grinning. After a moment, Luke stood up beside his girls and pulled his wife into a kiss. He extracted Dottie out of Ma's grasp and threw her on his shoulders in the next movement. "Yeehaw, Pa! To the pancakes!" Dottie's voice echoed throughout the ranch.
April stood occupying the same place for a moment as she watched the pair race down the stairs and into the kitchen, laughing and hollering, before following them down the steps.
It seemed almost picturesque at the time, with a father, mother, and child all living peaceably on a new family farm. There was love, celebration, and harmony abiding all around the home. However, all things good will end. That's just how the world works; whether we are ready for them to stop or not, sometimes, there's not even a proper warning. But isn't that what makes life worth living? Knowing that someone could wake up and everything good could be over, or maybe, the best part of life is just beginning. The sad truth is that we will never know we are in the good days until long after leaving them behind.
Dottie would have never known that the first day of Kindergarten would be the last day she would ever see her parents alive. That morning when they all sat around the big stained oak table laughing, drinking strawberry milk, and munching on horseshoe pancakes, well, that would be their last breakfast. The drive to the school listening to Luke's old country music on the stereo would be their final drive. When April told Dottie that she would always be her little outlaw, followed by a kiss on the forehead, well, that would be the last thing Dottie would ever remember her mother saying. Finally, her hero Luke bending down to tip his cowboy hat at his little Cowgirl and telling her to be as brave as the ranchers taming a wild stallion; well, that would be Dottie's last memory of her Pa and most personal hero.
Although as Dottie's parents said goodbye and she walked into her new classroom, full of other children steaming with life and creativity, there was only one thing in her sights - opportunity. That was until the end of the day when Dottie stepped out of the school building, did everything go black. As she saw her grandparent's truck pull up instead of her father's iconic 1970 Blue Dodge Challenger. Somehow she knew her parents were gone. Grey clouds overtook her vision, and strong winds of nothing but painful realization took out her stance. As her body tumbled down onto the cold, damp concrete, the world's light suddenly seemed dulled and was replaced by the storm shadows flying overhead. Dottie felt like someone had dragged her into the lake during winter and held her under the ice, drowning her under a thick layer of immovable glue.
Everything would be different now. The world she had known ended at that moment, and ready or not, the next adventure had begun.
The next few days seemed like nothing, more than a haze for the newly conceived orphan. The monumental life changes encompassing Dottie's story might have as well been flashes of light, bringing alarm, uncertainty, hostility, and despair into the young protagonist's world. Being driven home from school without parents. Flash. Going home, grabbing Clomp, and packing a bag for the foreseeable future. Bang. Accidentally picking up her grandparents ' newspaper and seeing the picture of the uncensored train accident. Pow. Her life seemed to move as fast as a moving picture, and the worst part was that there was nothing young Dottie could do except go through the motions of it all. She had nothing, no one. The rock and anchor in her life were all so suddenly detached. While moving in with her grandparents was a temporary fix, they were not suitable guardians for the young equestrian who loved the outdoors and was usually very active due to their young age. And although Dottie made sure not to cause any trouble when she was around them, it was no question that their health was rapidly fading.
Exactly two months after the death of her parents, Dottie finally had something that she hadn't seen in a long while. Hope. Around ten o'clock at night, long after Dottie was supposed to have fallen asleep, the rumble of an unfamiliar engine made its way down the driveway and into the Winchester residence. The curiosity of a young mind took flight, and Dottie couldn't help but try to discern who these strange visitors were. Peering outside her second-story window, someone slowly stepped out the Black Chevrolet '67 Impala. It was a man who made the young child's heart freeze. The guest appeared with a tangled and well-aged black beard, dark overcoat, and dark red flannel shirt, looking almost exactly like his brother. Her breathing began to hitch ever so slowly as the dark hazel brown eyes of the mysterious newcomer locked eyes with the startled ocean blue ones.
Dottie tried to pull herself away, but she couldn't help but stare at this man who appeared to look exactly like her Pa. While the man turned to close the door of the vehicle, another set of feet plopped out onto the asphalt. He seemed to be a young kid, much like Dottie, who couldn't have been more than eight years old. The young boy stretched his arms upwards and let out a yawn that would have woken up the sun. He took a moment and then opened the back door behind his own. Yet another set of growing feet thumped down onto the ground. However, unlike the former, the owner of these feet had some cargo in his arms. The second child, who looked to be about 4, was very gently holding a young baby who seemed to be a newborn. The older of the two boys lifted the baby into his arms and ruffled the other's hair.
Dottie was so enthralled in watching these three that she had almost forgotten about the older man, who was once more staring at Dottie from the terrain. She very hurriedly moved out of view of the window as a hurricane of thoughts swarmed her mind. Why are they here? Who are they? Why does he look so much like my Pa? Dottie's mind raced with anxious thoughts well beyond her years. She became frightened with the uncertainty of life and raced up onto her bed to instinctively grab Clomp and hold onto him for dear life. Sometimes all a Cowgirl can do is grab hold of their horse and try to ride out of the storm. Dottie's Pa always used to tell her that whenever she would have a nightmare, and while this wasn't a nightmare, it certainly didn't feel like a dream. She could hear her Pa at that exact moment, stronger and louder than she had heard him since his death. As she cuddled Clomp, Dottie listened to her Pa's words, "Be brave, Cowgirl. Be brave."
Breathing in a shuttered breath, Dottie rose to her feet and slowly began to descend the staircase. As she methodically placed her foot on each step, Dottie went down the whole staircase without making a squeak, that was until she reached the last two stairs. The young girl could hear the visitor's hushed voices, and she needed to know what they were saying and who they were. However, Dottie couldn't make it past the last two stairs silently because her legs weren't long enough to reach the bottom, and the final two steps always creaked like a door in desperate need of oil. Be brave. She repeated in her mind before taking a big breath into her small yet powerful lungs. Dottie swung her legs up and down, trying to gain a little momentum before launching herself to the ground floor. SQUEAK. Suddenly the voices were completely silent. She waited for a moment unmovingly, trying to discern if they had heard her or not. Then, without a warning notice, two powerful arms lifted her off the ground and up into the air.
"Dot?" The deep voice questioned. However, instead of receiving an answer, the gaze of two amazingly innocent ocean-blue orbs met him. All the young child could do was open and close her mouth. She felt like a fish out of water being held in the grasp of a giant unfamiliar bear.
"Pa?" Came the high-pitched voice. Was it really him? Was this really her Pa? Dottie's eyes must have done more talking than her mouth ever could have because the bearded stranger seemed to know exactly what the young child thought as he wrapped her up into his embrace. Dottie's tears fell freely now. She had not truly been able to grieve her parents, and every time she tried, the adults became too emotional to handle the amplified emotions of a young kid. However, now, at this moment, Dottie finally felt able to let out part of her grief into this unannounced stranger, who happened to look just like the person she was grieving. A tough yet oddly soft hand rubbed her back in circles, all the while letting this juvenile girl soak his flannel in tears. After a few minutes, Dottie's body suddenly began to weigh heavier and heavier, until finally, the sound of steady, deep breathing was all that could be heard throughout the room.
The warm sunshine grazed upon the no longer tear-soaked face of one Dottie Winchester. Her hands stretched out to embrace the heat of the rays shining into her temporary bedroom window. There was something different about Dottie today; a weight that once was wrapped around her neck drowning the young girl now seemed to give her some room to swim about the surface and belatedly catch a breath.
She could finally breathe the warmth of existence.
Rubbing her eyes, Dottie slowly sat up in the twin bed. It was a cozy room with pink pastel-painted walls and a teal-themed bedspread blossoming with tulips around the covers and curtains. It was quite unlike the room that she was raised in and loved, but, for now, it was hers.
Trying to remember the last night's events, she took her foot out from beneath the warmth of the covers and stepped on the cold wooden floor. "Eek!" Dottie's tiny feet immediately shot up off of the ground and onto the mattress. If there was one thing Dottie hated, it was waking up and stepping on a cold floor. She always remembered to put socks on before going to bed, so why had she forgotten last night? When her Pa was still alive, he never failed to make sure Dottie had socks on her feet before bed even if she was asleep. He would habitually gently put them on her small feet. Then it happened. All of last night's events came flooding back into her brain—the mysterious man and the kids that traveled along with him, everything. Dot began to chew on her nails, wondering why the strange family had come to visit. She was immersed in thought when suddenly there was a rap at the door.
"Sunshine." An older woman's voice broke through the thickness of the door. Dottie grinned and quickly slipped on the knitted red and blue socks made by her grandma. She made her way to the door and put her small hand around the handle, gently opening the door.
"Good morning, Grey." Came the small yet bright response. The aged woman bent down a couple of inches to look in the angelic face of her beautiful granddaughter. Grey took Dottie's little, fragile hand into her wrinkled, aged one and began to lead her down the stairs. As soon as they had descended the majority of the staircase, Grey felt a small tug on her white nightshirt sleeve.
She glanced down at Dottie's eyes and noticed a suffocating look of worry overtaking her pupils. She stopped two steps from the landing and brushed the back of her calloused hand on the side of the young girl's face. "Hey," she began gently, "is something the matter, my little Dot?"
A shaky breath was released into the air. Dottie looked up and nodded her small head of curls. "It's just that...well that," she paused and took another breath, "he...he looked just like my Pa." The small ocean eyes brimmed with tears. "I just miss him so much, Grey, and my Ma." And with that, the first tear began to roll down the cheek of precious Dottie.
"Oh baby," Her grandma said while scooping down to offer a hug. After a few moments of being held in the safe embrace of a family member, Grey took a step back and cupped her dainty face, "You know that he would be proud of you, and so would your Ma, Ms. Dot." She smiled and moved a strand of hair out of her eyes.
Dottie rapidly ran into her grandma's legs, hugging her once more. "Thank you, Grey."
"You're welcome, dear." She said with a small chuckle. "Now, are you ready to meet our guests?" Grey asked her granddaughter. Dottie bounced her head up and down, and the two of them continued down into the kitchen. When the pair was a couple of feet away from the kitchen, they heard a loud bout of laughter coming from one of the male voices.
"Oh, John!" The words coming out of what could only be Dottie's grandpa seemed choked with roaring laughter. "I can't believe that you remembered when Luke snuck April into the house! I thought that I was quiet!"
"Quiet?" John chuckled back at his father, "Dad, you just about woke up the entire neighborhood. I thought that Luke was never going to sit again after you were through with him." He smiled at the fond yet painful memory of his brother.
"Well, you know that he brought that on himself. I told him not to sneak anyone in," Samuel, John's father said, "Well, they did end up getting married, despite myself..." He looked over to the barrier of the kitchen and saw the small child with bouncy black locks staring at him, "And," Samuel added with emphasis, "they had this beautiful little one," He scoped his face down and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning, Miss Dot." Samuel grinned.
"Good morning, Grandpa," Dottie whispered quietly, unable to take her eyes off of the visitor. She was about to say good morning to John as well when a small child's laughter drew her attention to the other end of the room. "Who's that?" Dottie questioned, looking at the boys trying to feed the young girl in their arms.
The elder of the two, Dean, held baby Eli in his lap as Sam tried to get her to take a bit of waffle.
"Sammy, you have to actually try to get it into her mouth, not just on her face," Dean said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Sam sent his brother a 'no shit' look before quipping, "Well, maybe if you would hold her still, I wouldn't miss her mouth!" At that moment, Eli grabbed the end of the fork out of Sammy's grasp and flicked it up into Dean's face. The young baby's laughter filled the entire room as Sam giggled along with her. "Nice one, sis." He stage whispered to the child while looking back at his brother's face slightly covered in powdered sugar.
After a moment or two, Dean accepted his sugary fate and turned his sister to face him. "You think that's funny?" He asked baby Eli. She laughed and clapped her hands, seeing the mess she made on his face. Dean smiled and then leaned in real serious, "Then, what about this?" He lifted her up and blurbed Eli's belly. Once more, the small child's laughter filled the entire kitchen.
Dottie, on her part, was intrigued. She had never seen a family dynamic like this one; but, she enjoyed it. Dot smiled at the three as soon they were all covered in some kind of sugar.
John's clear voice broke the comedic lapse in time. "Sam, Dean, put the baby down and come over here." Both boys, without any hesitation, obeyed and stood in a military stance beside their father. "Sam and Dean, this is your cousin, Dottie." He waved his hand in the direction of the young girl standing in front of him. "Dottie, these are your cousins, Sam, Dean, and Eli." He stated while pointing to each of them as he said their names.
"It's nice to meet you," Dottie said shyly. She didn't remember having any cousins.
"Nice to meet you too!" Both boys answered back to her.
"Dottie," John's voice drew her attention back up towards him, "My name is John Winchester. I am your father's brother," He paused for a moment to gauge her reaction, but when she did not react, he continued, "So I am also your uncle." He rubbed his beard, truthfully unsure of what to do next. It wasn't like he didn't know that this was hard for her. Hell, when he was a marine and on the battlefield, John could tell his soldiers to grieve and then tough out their losses, but that wasn't exactly the case with an eight-year-old girl, much less one who was part of his family. He carefully examined her eyes to see any trace of emotion.
"It's nice to meet you ..." Dottie paused, unsure of what to call him.
"John's just fine." He replied, already knowing her question.
Dottie began to chew on the tip of her nail. "I didn't know that I had any cousins."
"Well, that's probably my fault, Dottie. You see, I...well, I go away on business trips all the time, and we are rarely in one place for very long. We actually have met before, but it was so long ago, I don't blame you for not being able to remember." He stopped and rubbed the back of his head. He looked over at Dean, who snorted in response to his dad's justification. John narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head towards his eldest son. If there was one thing that John Winchester knew how to do well, it was intimidating his children into listening to him. Dean swallowed and looked down at his feet.
It wasn't Dean's fault. How are you supposed to tell an eight-year-old girl who just lost her parents, that monsters are real? How do you tell her that vampires aren't just fictional characters in teen drama shows but real ugly bloodsuckers? What about werewolves that don't turn into big fluffy dogs but attack their prey and tear out their hearts? And demons? How in the Hell do you tell a child about real-life monsters from literal Hell? And that those creatures were the ones who killed her parents? Well, the short answer is, that you don't.
"Listen, Dottie, your grandparents and I have some big news for you." He bent forward and held the young Dottie's shoulders in his large and gruff hands. Then he gave her one of the most genuine smiles in his lifetime, and those were mighty rare. "Can I tell you a secret, Dottie?" She nervously nodded her head and looked intently at him.
"You know Luke," John corrected himself, "Sorry, your Pa. Well when we were younger, we used to do some pretty crazy things together. Once, Luke and I snuck out of the house in the dead of winter. We ran through the woods as fast as possible in a foot of snow and then tried to skate on the frozen lake... With our socks!" Dottie chuckled, thinking of her Pa trying to skate on ice with his socks. "Well, after an hour or so, Luke told me that it was time to go back to the house, but you know what I did instead?"
She shook her head at John. Sam and Dean, who were still standing close to their father, also tried to lean in closer to hear his 'secret' story.
"Well, I told him that after I skated around the lake just one more time, I would go back home. He shook his head, and I set off around the not-so-frozen lake. About halfway around, I hear a CRACKKK." All of the children let out a small gasp.
"Were you okay?" Dottie asked worriedly.
John laughed and continued, "Well, I knew that I had cracked the ice, but I couldn't see where it had broken because it was still mighty dark outside. So I just kept hollering, 'Luke! Luke!' He comes running over, but my entire body slips underneath the ice just as he reaches to grab my hand."
Samuel let out a grunt, "That's why I told you, boys, to stay away from the lake when it's dark." He gave John a morose look. "I could have lost you that night, and Luke."
John shook his head, "Yes, I know, Dad, but we were okay," he pulled at his beard again, "Well until you laid into us when we got back home."
It was Samuel's turn to laugh at his son, "Well, it's not like you didn't deserve it, boy."
He held up his hands in surrender, then turned all his attention back to Dottie. "Do you know what your Pa did when he saw me go under the water?" She shook her head and stared at him with wide eyes. "He jumped in there right after me. No questions asked. Luke was already in the water the second I went down." Dottie couldn't help but look at John with awe.
"My Pa jumped into the freezing lake water for you?"
John bounced his head. "He sure did, Dottie. And when Luke somehow managed to pull us both back up onto the frozen lake, my brother wrapped his arms around me and told me something that I will never forget. He said, "Johnny, I know the top of the ice is cold, and what's beneath it seems even worse, but as long as we are together on the top, we'll be okay. I promise, John."
Uncharacteristically, John became emotional, as he remembered that he would be alone out on the ice all over again. "Dottie, I need to tell you this because the last thing that you're Pa would have ever wanted is for you to feel alone. That's why your grandparents and I have decided that you will come and stay with us, so you don't ever have to be alone again, Dottie."
She looked up at the stern yet gentle man with tears lining the lower part of her eyes.
"I know that Grey and Grandpa Samuel have taken great care of you," he continued, "but we all agreed that it would be better for you to be around kids who are more your age and someone like me who can chase you around." He winked at her, and she let out a breath. When she didn't speak, John tried to fill the silence. "Dot, I know this has bee-"
Without any warning, the young girl launched herself into John's arms and let everything out into his beaten-up flannel shirt. He slowly rubbed her back, patiently waiting. After a few moments, when the tears had slowed down, he pulled her away and cupped Dot's face.
"I know this is difficult, Dottie. I lost someone just like you not too long ago. But it will be better if we stay on the top of the ice together because it's way better than drowning underneath it; trust me."
She shook her head again against his hands and leaned closer to his face, so close that their noses were almost touching, "I don't want you to be alone either, John."
John Winchester had no earthly clue, but at that moment, Dottie would have died for him. For Dot, being so close to someone in proximity that their noses were almost touching meant that she believed them completely. Her Pa had taught it to her when she was a little girl, and she had no intention of stopping.
Sam and Dean watched their father interact with the young child with some disbelief. They both knew that Dottie would be coming to live with them, and they were both thrilled, but seeing him be so open with someone their age was almost surreal. He was never that open and kind to them, ever. Sam's bright green and blue eyes found his brother's emerald ones next to him. They both gave each other a look of genuine shock. Dean cleared his throat and walked over to retrieve his baby sister from the table now that she was making random drawings in the sugar.
John kissed Dottie on the forehead and went to stand back up. He noticed his mother and father sitting ontop of the island with their hands holding one another. Everything that John had told Dottie was true, but John did leave out that Samuel and Grey were getting old, and they weren't so sure how much longer they would physically be able to look after her. He turned his attention towards Dottie once more.
"Dot, do you think that you could run upstairs with Sam, Dean, and Eli and pack up your things?" She nodded her head and motioned for the other three to follow her up the stairs.
Grey walked up to her son and gently took his hand into hers. "You take good care of her, John, just like Luke would have."
He shook his head in agreement and looked at his mother. "I will, Ma, I promise." She smiled and went back over to stand next to Samuel.
Several minutes later, the four Winchester children came down the stairs. Dean was carrying Dot's bags, Sam brought down a couple of her books, and Dottie came down holding Eli cautiously in her arms with her plush raccoon Gibby wrapped in the youngest child's arms. Eli had fallen fast asleep in her newest family member's arms, and Dottie's grin was contagious.
"Look, John!" Dottie whispered, "She's asleep!" John wrapped his arm around her shoulder and admired the two girls. He reached down to tentatively pick his daughter out of Dot's arms.
"Go on now, say goodbye to your grandparents." She gave him a small frown as he took baby Eli out of her grasp. John noticed and smiled, "I promise you'll have plenty of time to hold her. Go on."
"Okay, John." She sighed and skipped over to Samuel and Grey. Realization struck her like a truck at that moment. She became aware that she wouldn't see them again for an extended time. Before hugging either of them, Dottie stopped right in front of them and looked respectfully at them both.
"Grey, thank you so much for taking care of me. I love you and...and well, I know this hasn't been easy for you either. I'm sorry. I miss them too." Grey held open her arms and accepted the child into her grasp.
She bent down to Dot's level and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you more, Cowgirl."
Dottie sniffled and turned towards Samuel. "Grandpa, thank you..." she stuttered a little bit, and there wasn't a clear reason why "Thank you for loving me as my Pa did. He would be proud of you, Pa. I cannot wait to go horseback riding with you again when I see you." She smiled and saw that both her grandparents were starting to tear up. Samuel lifted his granddaughter off the ground and held her safe in his arms. She grasped onto his arm for dear life, embracing the connection between them.
Samuel placed her gently on the ground and tipped his cowboy hat in her direction. "Remember to be brave, my outlaw. I love you." She tilted her nonexistent hat towards her grandpa and ran back over to John.
He held the door open to his Impala, and Dottie joined Eli and Sam in the back seat while Dean and John sat in front. John slowly backed the car out of the long country driveway and honked his horn as they pulled out. Dottie waved one last goodbye at the people who had just loved her unconditionally and without any questions for two whole months.
There was no question that Dottie would miss them, but the adventure that awaited this young girl would be unlike any other. As the Impala cruised down the open farm country, Dottie couldn't help but think about the famous flourishing mountains in Aspen, Colorado. She recalled how the snow would soon cover the rolling green hills. At the time, the snow seemed to cover everything in the entire world. But as Dottie peered out of the back window, she noticed how big the world was and how much left she had to explore. Soon the snow would melt on the land and in Dottie's life, and after the cold, harsh winter, there was always one thing she could count on -
after the season of intense cold and sorrow, there will always be one of warmth and love.