Cosmic

Liam is surprised to find that in some sense he enjoys the experience, because even though he’s doomed, he gets to see the stars and planets in a whole new way. Unfortunately, Earth is nowhere to be seen, and one of the other passengers thinks that they may have gone through a black hole.

The narrative flashes back to the events that led up to his trip to space. The day Liam realizes he’s growing up is the day that he attends the fair with his class and goes on a ride called the Cosmic. None of his peers is allowed on it because they’re all too short, but Liam is tall, and the attendant thinks he’s an adult. Liam goes on the ride with his dad, and it shoots them into the air and back down again. It makes Liam feel brand new and alive.

When the class leaves, Liam realizes that the man at the gate also thinks Liam is an adult, and he uses the chance to run back to the ride. He rides it five more times, and when his father finally comes back and finds him, he’s furious. The ride attendant points to Liam’s “beard” and says he thought Liam was an adult. Liam never worried because he always knew his dad would come for him.

Now, in space, he knows that isn’t possible, and he knows he’s no longer a kid.

In another flashback, Liam tries to shave off his stubble after people start making fun of him, but he gives himself too many cuts, so his father teaches him. Liam’s mother worries about him growing so quickly and takes him to several doctors, but none of them find anything wrong. When Liam begins school at Waterloo High, the headmistress thinks he’s a new teacher. She takes Liam to the staff room and introduces him to the other staff. Liam tries to tell her that he's in seventh grade, but she doesn’t seem to hear him.

At a school assembly, the headmistress introduces Liam in front of the whole school. He makes a speech about all the places named Waterloo in the world, and invites the students to join him on an adventure. They all follow him outside into the school yard, where the actual new teacher is waiting to get inside. The headmistress is initially confused and then angry, but Liam insists that he never lied about being a teacher.

Liam’s teacher tells his father that he doesn’t fit in and has no friends at school, but Liam prefers the company of his online friends anyway, because they don’t judge him for his height. Regardless, his father signs him up for a drama club, and one of Liam’s acquaintances from school, a girl named Florida, also joins it. Liam is chosen to be the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) in the upcoming play. After the first day, Liam and Florida discover that people seem to think they’re father and daughter, and decide to take advantage of it.

Liam describes the feeling of privilege and the strong desire to keep pushing the boundaries to find out how much he can get away with. At one point, the two friends go to a car dealership, and Liam fools the man into thinking he’s old enough to drive. Just as Liam gets behind the wheel of a Porsche, his father appears, angry again. On the way home, Liam asks how his father knew where to find him, and Liam’s father, who is a taxi driver, explains that it’s just “what dads do” (47).

Liam admits that he’s grateful his dad appeared in that moment, but now that he’s out in space, he knows that his dad can’t save him.

Liam’s dad decides that the family needs a vacation and hopes that the time away will relieve some of their stress. The family visits a travel agent, but Liam’s mother finds an issue with every place the agent suggests. Finally, the family decides to renovate the kitchen instead, which Liam finds much less exciting. In drama club, the night of the play arrives, and Liam sits in his room before the play, imagining himself orbiting the sun in space.

Liam spends a lot of time surfing the internet on an app called DraxWorld. He usually looks at theme parks around the world or at all the places in the world named Waterloo. Before the play, a woman calls him asking about his internet habits and his hopes for his children. When Liam realizes that the woman thinks he’s a father, he answers that he wants his children to see the world as one big thrill. After the call, Liam has a feeling that something amazing is about to happen. Just before heading onstage, Liam receives a text inviting him and his child to participate in a contest to test the world’s greatest thrill ride ever: a rocket ship set to launch out of China. Liam shows his dad the message, but his dad dismisses it as a scam.

Later, Liam’s dad invites him to play Monopoly, but Liam complains that it’s boring and pointless and goes to his room to play World of Warcraft instead. His father comes in and tries to show an interest in Liam’s hobby. However, when he sees Liam’s avatar, which is his opposite (short, magical, many friends), he becomes uncomfortable and leaves. Liam plans to call the contest line the following day.

Liam calls the number for the contest and is put on hold. The hold music is Gustav Holst’s The Planets. He’s on hold for hours, and during math class, his teacher hears the music and feels inspired to do a lesson on the planets, which Liam loves. Throughout the day, contest winners are announced over text, including Anna from Hamburg, Germany, and her father; a boy named Samson Two from Waterloo in Sierra Leone; Max and his father from France; and Hasan and his father from Bosnia, who bought their ticket from Anna. Liam realizes that only one spot is left, but when he finally gets through on the call, his teacher takes his phone and hangs up.

That night, Liam gets a call from Drax Communications, telling him that he won and asking about his child. Liam says he has a daughter named Florida. After the call, he realizes that he needs to train himself on being a dad, so he starts practicing talking, walking, and acting like his own father. His next task is to find himself a “daughter.”

Ever since the Porsche incident, Florida has avoided Liam, but he traps her into talking to him at drama club. The two are paired up and told to act like a father and daughter, and Liam uses the chance to tell Florida about the theme park. She continually declines and reminds him that he isn’t a real dad, adding that the last time they tried something like this, they nearly got hurt. Liam follows Florida home, and when he mentions a limousine might be involved, Florida suddenly perks up. She tells Liam she’ll consider going, and says nothing more.