Preamble Stumble: Cosmo Dome

By Taya Wood

In the beginning there wasn't just one word, there were several, and some were missi_

 

On another plane of existence, Jawanza the orator makes worlds come to life by reading aloud from a mysterious script to celestial spectators. Despite birthing countless flawless worlds into being, for the first time ever he's forced to improvise. One wrong sentence could destroy an entire civilisation but a whole paragraph could really mess up an otherwise pleasant realm.

 

Get your head into this tall short story about the origins of life that will prepare you for the cosmic fantasy series, Cosmo Dome.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taya Wood
• Release date: Aug 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201732936

Taya Wood

I’ve been writing speculative fiction books for years and now feels like the right time to publish. My first release is the Cosmo Dome series.  I was born in North Wales and spent my early childhood in a small town in the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia, and my teen years on an island in Papua New Guinea. I now call the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia home where I live in an off-grid tiny house homestead in a forest with my husband who’s an eco-architect and theme park designer, and Sir Ollie Monster the cat, who plays like a dog and loves to cuddle. When I’m not writing, I love to dance, play freestyle frisbee, and explore the natural world, sometimes all at once.  Find me on socials @tayawoodauthor or drop me a line at tayawood.com.  

Book preview

Preamble Stumble

Above an odd little world in the middle of nowhere, a celestial carriage appeared with white gossamer wings spread wide. Following the same route it did every eon, it coasted down a cosmic aisle through rows of spectators, towards a grand amphitheatre. When the docking platform came into view, the carriage plunged beak first then levelled out just above the ground. A few graceful wing sweeps sent a cool breeze across a large crowd of colloidal wellwishers that gathered on the forecourt hoping to catch a glimpse of Jawanza, the great orator, before the Revelation of Worlds.

‘He’s here!’ the first wellwisher to notice the carriage cried out in excitement.

All eyes turned to the platform as the carriage landed with a thump sending long-settled dust into the atmosphere. Its wings folded then the doors swung opened to an expectant silence.

‘What’s happening up there?’ a wellwisher further back from the platform called out after a while. The orator usually appeared the moment the doors opened.

‘He’s not there!’ someone at the front called back.

Mouths dropped open and eyes grew wide. ‘How could he not be there?’

It was a mystery to all except the usher, Jink, who’d caught a brief glimpse of Jawanza on the carriage step when light shone on dust that settled on his shoulders. Jink knew the effort it took for the orator to appear enough to be seen, but also that the wellwishers expected to see him. The effort usually involved applying coloured balm and a visibility cloak. ‘He’s here! Do you see?’ Jink pointed at a tall, glassy entity whose large head carried mostly mouth and a one-track brain good for broadcasting stories across great distances and not much else, but a breeze brushed the dust away before anyone could see him.

Under the shadow of the departing carriage, unseen and clasping a rolled script thick with words, the great orator walked to the edge of the docking platform. Arms out, he greeted the crowd with a pleasant smile. ‘Hello, wellwishers! It’s good to be back!’ His captivating and omnipresent voice carried far and wide with no telling where it came from.

Confused expressions fell on faces. Heads turned in all directions. Wellwishers cried out.

‘Where are you?’

‘We can’t see you!’

‘Is he really here?’

Jink climbed onto the platform and identified the orator by a thickness of the atmosphere. She leaned towards him and whispered, ‘Jawanza! You forgot to put on your balm and cloak!’

‘I did!’ the orator confessed with an awkward laugh. He excelled at reading out loud but was otherwise absent-minded. Presenting as ethereal wasn’t the sensational arrival everyone expected and seeing eager faces was the encouragement he needed before the reading. He felt bad that he’d let everyone down.

Jink took off her cloak and handed it to him.

‘Thank you, Jink!’ Jawanza gave a nod of his giant head. The basic fabric didn’t reveal the