There was nothing ever particularly special about the Darling family. They weren't rich, they weren't popular, and none of them ever possessed especially high levels of intelligence.
On the other hand, it must be said that this was the view of people who had never really known the Darling family.
In fact, if you knew the Darling family, then you would know that Wendy happened to be quiet special for a girl of her social status, intelligence, and appearance. Now, this is not a story about the young girl, because really, her story has already been told.
However before we dive into the story that is to be told we must learn the history of it.
You see, Wendy Moira Angela Darling was the start of the Darling family adventure for it was her that first played mother for a very special young boy, a boy who never grows up. She was the first one, of course, to meet Peter Pan.
When she was approximately fourteen years of age, Wendy and her two younger brothers, Michael and John, were plucked from their nursery window by the mischievous young boy and taken to the magnificent island of Neverland. Adventures ensued, as did tragedies, heartbreak, joy, as well as a death or two. The Darling children met the Lost Boys, Indians, pirates, a fairy, and even a few mermaids.
Peter's nemesis Captain Jas. Hook and the other pirates of the Jolly Rogers ruined perfectly good houses, destroyed lovely relationships, kidnapped innocent young mothers, and poisoned already simply dreadful medicines. Punches were exchanged and battles were fought and with the promise of "Hook or me this time" the good little children prevailed and the evil pirates were either killed or expelled from Neverland.
And, in the end, the children went back to their little London town nursery (along with a few extra Lost Boys) and a promise was made that it would be Wendy's job to do Peter's spring cleaning.
She did, though some years Peter forgot she was to do it, and eventually (inevitably) Wendy grew up.
She married and had a daughter Jane.
Jane, quite unlike her mother, was recruited by Peter Pan to be the new Neverland spring cleaner once he found out that Wendy had grown and could no longer fly (after forgetting to pick her up for twenty-two years). Jane, however, much preferred to be the first Lost Girl and although she spent most of her childhood trying to live up to the expectations of Peter, never succeeded. Eventually boring with the vain Peter, Jane stopped trying to remain young and grew up.
She married and had a daughter Margaret.
It was almost a decade after Margaret's birth that Wendy passed away and Peter stopped coming for the Darling girls to do his spring cleaning. This always perplexed Jane and Margaret, for they both knew it had been nearly sixty years since Peter had last talked to Wendy. Nevertheless, without ever getting to have her own adventures in Neverland, Margaret left her childhood behind, went to school, became a nurse, and grew up.
She married and had a daughter Alice.
Alice was told of the vain and handsome, the gay, innocent, and heartless Peter Pan yet never actually met him and was the first Darling girl to fail to do so since Wendy. Alice, who always felt terribly angry about that fact, rebelled, went to school in North America, and eventually (though it was many years late) grew up.
She married and had a daughter Reese.
Now Reese was quiet different than all the other Darling girls. First off, she lost the English accent and gained an American one. She also, from the beginning, denounced all possibilities of the existence of Peter Pan and killed quiet a few fairies during her fits by claiming that fairies did not, in fact, exist. She would do this for two reasons. First she knew it hurt her mother dearly and second, she knew it was the only way she could get her way and because she really didn't believe in fairies, there was no harm done…to her. It was a terrible disaster that Reese, who also liked to wear pants and hated dresses, tried to grow up entirely too fast.
She also hated the name Darling. Her full name was Reese Moira Angela Darling-Montgomery (Alice used Moira Angela Darling because she felt it imperative to keep up the family names in her offspring, of which she shared with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother), however, Reese usually signed her name as Reese M. A. Montgomery and I'm sure I don't have to tell you how heart breaking it was to Alice that Reese simply left out the Darling all together.
Let me say now, dear reader, that it is Reese with whom we start our current story at.
You see, she grew up without ever really being a child. Her first words were "stop that", which she used regularly when her mother would tell her fairy stories or ridiculous fantasies of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Hook, and Neverland. She used it when she felt her peers were being immature, and when she decided the adults she was forced to contend with needed to do a little growing up themselves.
At a very young age Reese found it was easier to succeed at life through hard work, dedication, and receiving a proper education. She was sure it was personally demeaning to publicly humiliate oneself by dancing or singing, and was horrified by the thought of being lazy by playing with dolls or other little children because she felt it achieved nothing.
Although she did love her, Reese did not like her grandmother, who insisted that every time Reese visited London, she should spend all her hours in the nursery being told of Peter Pan, instead of being allowed to explore the historical landmarks and educational museums the area had to offer.
Reese also found it hard to be around her mother, who was, at the prime age of forty-four, absolutely, insanely convinced Peter Pan was non-fictional and was determined her daughter feel the same way.
She was not quiet, nor was she shy. She had many friends of whom she would spend her free time with and was well liked by her teachers and peers. She was voted most likely to succeed, most popular, and best eyes all in one year and liked movies, competitive sports, and most forms of traditional art.
She spent as little of her time as possible at home.
And our story starts at the doorstep of a certain house in London. Reese is eighteen, fresh out of high school, and on her way to a top-ranking university. Alice is forty-four and angry at her daughter for not attempting to hold one conversation at all throughout the entire fourteen hour flight to London from California.
"Mother, I was involved in a very interesting book!" Reese said through gritted teeth.
"We had all that time to talk, and you just wasted it away! I don't understand how a book could be more appealing to you than your own mother."
"Oh, I do," the young lady said under her breath.
Her mother sighed and turned toward the street, obviously pretending to not hear her daughter's comment so as not to appear angry when her own mother answers the door.
Reese pressed the door buzzer several times. Her grandmother would be able to occupy some of her mothers time.
The door opened and the short Margaret appeared, white haired, smiling, and ready to hear about every aspect of her grand-daughters life.
"Ah, Reese! Look at my grand-daughter! So grown, so mature!"
Reese smiled a warm, fake smile.
"Hello, Grandmother," she said, giving her grandmother a loving hug since she could get away with no less.
Reese stepped aside so Alice could hug Margaret.
"Oh Mother, who look so wonderful!" Alice said.
Margaret always looked wonderful since everything always had to be perfect, from her hair to her toenails.
"And I love your hair!"
Margaret, sometime in the past four years, had changed her hair style.
"Oh and the house looks wonderful!"
Of course it did. It always did.
Reese readjusted one of the bags in her arms and stood somewhat uncomfortably by the front door of the house.
Some random and completely useless (thus no need to mention them) words were exchanged by the mother and grandmother, in which the granddaughter paid no attention to.
"Oh Reese, your room is all ready," Margaret finally said after she had thoroughly discussed the meaning of her life with her daughter (not really).
Just in case there is any confusion as to what room is Reese's, I will say that it is, has always been, and will forever be the nursery.
Reese, feeling no need to argue, gave a curt nod and walked up the stairs to the double door entry of the nursery.
A bed, Wendy's bed in fact, waited at the far right wall Reese, it's blankets pulled back in a very seductive manner that made Reese want to take a nap.
The other two beds, which once belonged to John and Michael, were made and sadly empty, save for an old top hat (the one John took to Neverland) on one bed, and a small teddy bear (Michael's favorite) on the other. They were both over a hundred years old.
Reese dropped her suitcases by the doorway and walked into the room. It smelled old, the entire house did, and it was comforting, like returning home after a long journey.
The large bay window was open, of course. Margaret did not like it closed. She would sigh, "it makes the room seem smaller" if Reese ever did close it.
Really, however, Margaret found the possibility of locking Peter out to be too much to bear.
So, just in case Peter Pan should return, just in case he should come looking for a new spring cleaner, the window was always open.
It's a strange thing, desire, for you see Margaret desired, more so than anything else in the entire world, to be Peter Pan's new spring cleaner, his new Wendy, even at her age.
Reese found this simply pitiful.
Now, don't worry, she would never exactly say this to her grandmother, but Reese did think it.
A strange wind, the mischievous north wind in fact blew into the room and disturbed all that was light in weight, pieces of paper and such, and danced quickly around Reese. She shuddered.
Winter was fast approaching. It was silly to keep the window opened.
She bundled her jacket around her a little tighter and approached the window. Looking out at the street below, she could she the people of the neighborhood out walking on the peaceful streets. Cars rarely drove down this street.
The song of a distant wind chime drifted into the room, much less rudely than the wind. Reese smiled at the sound. She had to admit, it was ever so peaceful in the nursery, even if she was forced to stay here instead of the guest room across the hall which had its own bathroom.
The chime stopped and Reese closed the window, flipping the lock so the wind wouldn't blow it open.
"Oh Reese, you can close it, but please don't lock it!" Margaret said as she walked into the room.
Reese unlocked the window. "Sorry Grandmother, I didn't want the wind to open it."
"I understand, but you know the window must always be left unlock," Margaret said with her 'I wished you would hurry up and believe' sigh.
"Grandmother, please don't start that yet," Reese requested, "I'm too tired."
To her surprise, Margaret held back the lecture on not believing and simply, painfully, nodded. She left the extra blankets she had been holding in her arms on a rocking chair.
To her surprise, it almost hurt when Margaret simply left the room.