Endless fields of grass. A sky so bright there are barely shadows. At the center of this expanse is The Veldt Institute, an austere structure governed by austere routine. The patients perform their tasks, bathe in the veldtlicht, contemplate silence, all following the prescriptions of the institute’s doctors, seven in all, each with his or her specialization. Doctor Mellinger practices Movement Activities. Doctor Yin heals by absence. Doctor Peltus says we all suffer from a malady as unique as the treatment it requires, but our narrator’s malady remains elusive, even after so much time at the Institute, time that has long blurred into a present as expansive and unchanging as the veldt.
To make sense of this, our narrator documents life at the Institute. Consider its architecture, the vast library, and the veldt itself, a source of unease as much as a source of healing. Why does its light have such a profound effect on patients? How foolish is the Holy Fool? What, if anything, lies at the end of the Inner Path? The only way to know for sure is to walk it.