When Casey arrived at his office he decided to send a request down to research and see if he could get some info on the Taj. He’d seen pictures before but never really looked at them. Now was the time for a closer look. Maybe he could see what the fuss was about.

This wasn’t the type of thing that his research department normally spent time on. Casey was a little curious what they’d think when they saw this memo. The looks on their faces would be interesting. Probably thought he was going mad or something.

A new thought struck him. What if they sent him a complete detailed report on that thing in New Jersey! He leaned back and let out a short laugh. The last thing he wanted to do was making something cheap looking.

He still didn’t want to make a palace though either. His sensibilities wouldn’t allow that. Ok, so it would be something polished and glittery. That was ok, he guessed. As long as it didn’t feel like he was throwing his status in anybody’s face.

He felt a little jealous of that old king. A tomb would be perfect. It had built in dignity. There was only one problem, but it was a fairly big one. Casey had no one to bury. He smiled at that. If only all of his problems were so pleasant.

Any word from Judith? A message. Maybe there was a breakthrough? No, she and Brent were heading to Chicago for some kind of architectural study. He hoped it was more fruitful than the last time. Well, he didn’t begrudge some trivial expense in the name of research.

His mood had improved. The talk with Naveep seemed to have done the trick. Something about the Taj really rang a bell. There was an idea, finally just off the tip of his mind.

He’d been a fool to not look at what was already out there. The world was full of readily accredited Wonders. They should serve as his guide. His years at the company had already taught him that improvement was often better than outright innovation.

Not that he would just go out and copy something. That would never do. Especially with something as recognizable as the Taj Mahal. He would build something new but in a similar spirit to those ancient Wonders.

He caught a glimpse of steel and glass. Something modern but with a very classic feel. He could almost picture…something. This feeling was both frustrating and exciting. There was a monumental discovery to be made. Something big would be decided. Not only that, it would be created.

He pulled up some pictures of the Taj through his office computer. It really was a beautiful place. Impossibly big, almost like someone’s mad fantasy come to life. The eye was drawn to the large dome. It seemed big enough to cover…something. The thought wouldn’t come to him.

All that and it was a tomb. Imagine creating something like that for your wife. He loved Judith, he really did, but if her plane went down on the way to Chicago he’d never dream of creating something like this for her. The king’s wife must have been a very special woman.

Was the actual tomb right under that big dome? Probably. The thought finally landed for him. That’s what it was big enough to cover! It covered an entire life.

Casey was surprised to notice that he’d stood up and was crouched over looking at the computer. He looked around guiltily to see if he’d been noticed. No, it didn’t look like it. At least he’d been spared that embarrassment. A quick smile and then he sat down again.

He didn’t have the full picture yet but he knew that it would include a dome. Maybe one made entirely out of glass. At least it would be good enough if it looked like it was just glass. How big could he go with that? Casey suddenly wondered if the island was big enough after all.

He needed to call someone and talk with them about this. Let’s see, probably his wife should be first. He’d try her cell phone first. No answer. They might be in the air. He left a voicemail.

On second thought, her flight should have landed hours ago. He looked for the message she’d sent to see if her hotel was listed. Yes it was, along with the phone number. A quick buzz to his secretary followed. He asked her to contact the hotel and get him in touch with his wife.

Back to the project while he waited. What other domes were out there? He didn’t want to avoid copying this one and end up with someone else’s. The Capitol building of course. Several of them if his memory was right. Most of them had a central spire at the top. He’d try to avoid that.

His secretary buzzed. His wife had checked in but wasn’t in her room currently. Casey thanked her and let the matter go. She must be out studying already. He would talk to someone else from creative. This idea can’t just wither away!

Out came a notepad and he started jotting things down. As soon as his ideas were in writing he felt much better. This would make it happen. He didn’t even know what the full shape would be but this was the first step.