Though I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of death...

The dawn broke grey and cold, but Fil took no notice. In fact, today was the happiest day of his life. He might be going to live with Grandma Pearl. It was just a might. He didn’t even know if she had found his note, but this was the first thing he had had to hope for in…ever. Waking up in the morning and being able to lounge in bed. Wow! A bed! He’d never had one of those. And he could go to school, and maybe get a job. Most importantly though, he could give back all of the things he’d “borrowed”. So he woke with these thoughts did not notice the chill wind and darkening sky.
Cheerfully, he scurried down his tree and headed to the underpass to get the day’s newspapers He reached the crossing as two cars came up, turning left and right. Fil went on straight, and…what was this? Where were his newspapers? He looked all around, but nothing was in front of him wherever he looked. Fil sat down and pondered for a long while. Finally though, he thought of two things. It could just be a mistake. They’ll probly just bring them tomorrow. And what does it matter anyway. I might not even be getting papers much longer. Wait! What if Grandma Pearl was the one leaving the newspapers, and now that she read my note, she knows there’s no point in me doing this anymore! He thought about this idea, and decided that it was stupid, but there were other reasons, so he got up and plodded back to town. It was nice not to carry those heavy words. Those grey papers were his past. He decided he would even throw away the left over papers he kept in his tree. Fil reached the apartment building and stopped, deciding what he would do today. He wanted to go see Grandma Pearl, but he didn’t want to rush her. Fil decided he would just meander up and down the street. He had never done that before. Just stood out in the open and didn’t care about anyone seeing him. He had never done a lot of things before. But today, today he was going to live a new life. Where was everyone? He wanted to give someone a big grin and a hearty hello. Why would people not be out on a gorgeous day like this? Oh, wait. There’s Mrs. Flogsbottom-head-bent, hurrying to the store. Peculiar woman.
“Hey there Mrs. Flogsbottom! Lovely weather!” he said as he gave her a big smile and a wave. She looked up with an expression of total incredulity, then looked at the sky.
Well, I guess it’s true that I never talk to anyone. Quite a shame, as everyone in this town seems so pleasant. I’ve wasted part of my youth, but I’m young. I have so much more to look foreword to. It’s ok. Fil wandered up and down the street for hours, taking it all in. Oscar’s meat place. Lovely man. Taxidermy shop. A little strange, but she did seem to love animals. The local grocery store. Fil looked at the place with a feeling of relief. In the future, he could go in there and get whatever he wanted, knowing he had a pocket full of money. Last of all, he went to the bus stop. The bus had come and long gone. He stood standing there for a long while. This single place could take him anywhere. There were so many places he could have gone. Could have, maybe should have, but there was only one place he wanted to go now.
The day began to wane, so he headed back to his tree for the night, taking one last look at today, because tomorrow, everything would change. Fil was so excited about the idea of something different, that he barely even felt the raindrops starting to fall onto his face. As he reached the platform of his tree, the wind picked up swiftly. His platform was more than three-fourths up the tree, and it started rocking back and forth. Usually during a storm, Fil stayed on the ground and found a place to sleep, but he simply had not noticed the weather on account of his thoughts. However, he had weathered storms before after all, so he hunkered down in his bed pile, pulling his covers and all of his belongings tightly around him.
As the night wore on, the storm increased its fury. The tree swayed violently, as rain, sleet, and chunks of ice beat ferociously against Fil’s thatched, make-shift roof. Terrified, Fil hugged the floorboards., occasionally having one peal up from beneath him and whirl away with the howling wind. Fil hung on for dear life as the storm raged on around him. All thoughts of anything except survival were driven from his mind. Soaked, battered, starving, and exhausted, Fil did not know how much more he could take. Soon the storm would win, and Fil did not know what would happen. The whirlwind night dragged on for years with periodic lightening strikes to mark the seconds, it seemed, but finally the rain started to abate, and the wind died down. Dawn approached. Fil’s strong, solid oak, had proved its worth. Its roots ran deep, and it had outlasted the storm, and was sure to outlast many, many more. This was his home, his life. He and his tree would continue together. With a relieved sigh, Fil started climbing down the tree for his feet to meet the hard, solid earth. The last of the rain was drizzling away, taking Fil’s fears with it. He was about thirty feet down from his platform, though, when the storm decided to give one last parting shot. The sky boomed and a mighty lightening bolt struck the very limb on which Fil stood. The branch gave a resounding crack, and snapped from the tree, gathering speed toward the ground, and taking Fil with it. Fil gave a mighty wail as he flung out his arms, grasping desperately at the leaves and twigs, trying to break his fall. An eternity passed by as he fell, and finally, he crashed to the ground, as the branch on which he had a second before been standing, crashed down on top of him.

Fil blacked out.

He woke on his back, with a heavy weight pressing on his chest, yet strangely, he felt nothing. His body felt light and warm, as his fingers soaked up the wetness on the ground around him. Rain from the storm, he thought. Fil looked up and saw the remains of his tree house far above. Something grey was floating down through the sky.

I did good. It’s an angel come.

Pearl saw the newspaper page resting softly across his tiny chest. It was the job ads. She picked it up and read the first description, circled with red sharpie.

Help wanted: flying instructor.

The warming sun broke over Washington Heights. It was going to be a gorgeous day.