I think of all my characters in Phantom Express, Daryl is the one that has changed the most and probably for the best. In the beginning his character was another kid, a bully, who had lost his brother when he was younger. As I grew up myself though, I realized how juvenile this character was and how unnecessary. I knew I had to change him to tie into the characters that existed, and I wanted it to become about family, so I changed the character's age, relationship etc, until it was their Dad.
In a way Daryl is an intriguing character because although the story is narrated as scene through Justin and Jessie's perspective, the story is really about Daryl's struggles. He is a single father who still deals with the terrible grief over his wife's death some years back. He's got a job, a house, two children to deal with, and yet the loss of his wife weighs heavily on his heart. I once was told by someone that they sympathized with his character the most and that was very profound.
This person told me that they considered Daryl's situation in the book as the most precarious and real in relationship to death. Not to spoil anything, but they saw his decision about death as the most crucial. In the end, so many people have trouble living after one they love so much dies. So many lose hope and faith and start to die off slowly inside themselves. They do not always see the beauty of life right in front of them. Sometimes people make foolish choices in regards to life.
It is for this reason that the Phantom Train ultimately sought out this family. Somewhere, somehow, Maria Dawson, Daryl's wife wanted to give her husband a message to keep on living.
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