Versalis

Versalis is the mindscape of Micah Daniel. It is a place which exists in his head as a mental paradise and location to store the worlds he creates. The mindscape is a concept based upon 'mind palaces' or 'the method of loci' expanded beyond the measure of a single structure.

Versalis sits in a nebulous pseudo-space. Little stars and clouds of glowing color create a background. Orbiting around it is a tradition sun and moon. Granted, for physics sake, this sun is a measure smaller than the real one Earth goes around, yet it is also positioned closer to compensate for the size difference. Versalis itself is fashioned like a floating island.

The underside of Versalis is exposed, rough rock, left alone and unexplored. Topside, the surface is covered in a luscious biome. The terrain shifts in a roughly parallel pattern running between the Southwest and Northeast points of the compass. Arcing between the South and West points is a small sea. The waters foam and cascade over the edge and are drawn into a pool on the underside, which then find themselves pumped back into the sea from the floor. The sea surface behaves as one is expected to. The waves crash and lap up against the yellow-white sands of the beach. Below the waves, there lies a world of color. A barrier reef separates the the beachside and the edge-side of the sea. As with any healthy reef, it is teeming with life, crawling with crustaceans. Swaying slowly and gracefully are many varieties of sea plants. And darting about everywhere are fish of every imaginable species.

Moving up from the sea, the beach seems rather barren, a stark contrast to below the waves. Beyond a few dunes, the sand transforms into a grassland, save for the southernmost portion. The green flatland stretches just past the midpoint of Versalis before a forest springs up. Resting in the near center of this place is a small town, by name of Upton. The quaint town of Upton is a quiet place. Most of the buildings are brick and mortar. Few, if any, of the structures reach three stories high, town hall aside. The denizens of Upton go about what could best be called their ‘lives’. Every one of them have a strange, nondescript appearance, seeming perfectly normal from the corner of one’s eye or from a distance. But, upon looking closer, directly at someone, their features look blurred out. Blurred faces aside, the folk are hospitable and leave well enough alone.

To the Southeast, starting from the beach, a crescent of forest grows. Curving around the eastern side of the middle of Versalis, a belt of temperate and evergreen trees separate the grassland from the mountains. Barely a third of the way into the woods, the ground begins to slope upward, becoming increasingly steep with a few level plateaus scattered about. Looking back to Upton, there is a road that goes to the east, to the woods, quickly becoming a path of trampled, compact earth. The way snakes up the slopes before reaching a modest plateau. Sitting on a small cliff is a two-story lodge of sorts. It has a rustic appearance, sturdy and natural, fitting in with the environment rather than fight it or exude dominance.

The lodge sits up on a small cliff with a clearing of trees that grants a wide vista to overlook the town, grasslands, beach, and sea beyond. As for the cliff, it is part of the backyard. Out the kitchen door, there is a patio and a decent-sized pool. Right on the cliff itself, there is a staircase of wide, flagstone steps that descend about five meters. From there, that is the garden. The garden is more natural than ordered, and contains a wide variety of horticulture. Defying the climate, there are also a number of plants growing that do not belong to this temperate environment.

Onto the lodge, it is best seen starting at the front door. There is a small foyer where guests can leave their shoes and coats. A simple, blue carpet adorns the wood floor. The walls are wood siding, perhaps cypress, given the faint, pleasant smell. The ceiling, just over three meters up, mimics the walls, having the same wood siding as well.

On the back right of the foyer is a short hall leading into the rest of the house. Going down the hall, it opens up into a massive living room, the ceiling shooting up to five meters from the floor. The hall ends in the front, right corner of the room. Looking right and going counterclockwise, there is a pair of staircases. A spiral case heads upward, then there is a flight of steps going downward. The far right corner is converted into a kind of bay window from the floor to the ceiling. It was a kind of observation window showing off the northern range of the forest and mountains. Moving along the back wall, there is a brief section of of a few hanging pictures. The images change frequently, based on mood and time and guests. Smack in the middle of the back wall is a decent, stone and mortar fireplace, the chimney visibly going up the wall and out the house.

Opposite the pictures, to the left of the fireplace, is a large bookcase going up two thirds of the wall and filled with a variety of books. Secretly or not, the left end of the shelves swing out to reveal a more extensive library. This alcove of books has its shelves curl around in a clockwise ‘U’ shape. In here, there are various models and displays that adorn the room among the books. Back to the living room, this bookshelf ends with a corner work table, used for writing. Round the corner and onto the left wall, there is a door leading into the kitchen. Along the rest of the wall, there is a long, counter-like window giving a clear view of the kitchen. The floor in there was tile, unlike the rest of the house, and the walls were white. Wide counters are found on every wall and a large fridge stands to the back left. On the back right, there is a wooden door leading to the larder, along with a deep-freezer hidden in there.

Back to the living room once more, finally turning the last corner, there is a doorway to a leftward-running hll. On the right end is a bathroom. But down the left, the hall seems impossibly long. Guest rooms are here, with a new one generating as needed. Despite the length, it never shows on the outside, a ‘bigger on the inside’ thing. Each room is specifically designed to the desires of the occupant beforehand and share the same ‘compressed space’ aspect as the hall. The only thing left to show in the living room is two more bookshelves extended perpendicular to the wall between the doorway to the hall and the one to the foyer That, and, in the center of the room is a large blue-and-green carpet with a sofa, comfy chair, and a nice, wood coffee table.

Turning attention back to the staircases, the spiral one leads to my personal bedroom, or den. I’ll leave out the details to that room from here. Pay me a visit if you really want to find out. The same applies for the staircase going down. That set leads to the basement, which, to say the least, is a tricky and mercurial place. And it so happens to be where I keep all the worlds I create, all the stories and lives.

To finish up the grand tour, a small range of mountains borders the eastern edge, extending from the Northeast to the Southeast points. But this is not all of Versalis. This place, this mindscape, this demesne is alive and growing. Over time, things will change (and have). On the face, Versalis will always be recognizable. It is in the details that the little things will happen and alter. Bit by bit, Versalis will only continue to become a better and more beautiful place.