At the heart of The People’s Union of Living Room is the wondrous city of Mantel: the nation’s capital. Living Room was once a group of separate nations that competed viciously for resources until it was united under communism long ago by the celebrated Colonel Trooper. At the center of the capital is a massive statue honoring him. Now all resources in Living Room are evenly distributed amongst its peoples, and decisions are made by vote. While it acts as a democracy, decisions are primarily made by one member of the house who takes it upon herself to do much of the organizing while the remaining members almost always go along with her decisions. It also suffers from some of the negative aspects of communism in that many individuals are less motivated to contribute to its maintenance, and its decorations tend not to be as showy as some other areas of the world. That being said, it’s a lovely place to visit and has many publicly funded museums and entertainment. The people are all very friendly and welcoming, and most people who visit Downstairs spend a great deal of their time in Living Room.
I took this photo as my air balloon was landing in Mantel, where I stayed for nearly a month enjoying all of its wonderful attractions.
It's even more awe inspiring to see the statue from the base as one of the tiny people looking up at it.