| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne: lustreless lining. At one moment, the tunnel becoming very narrow, I
leaned against the wall.
When I removed my hand it was black. I looked nearer, and found we
were in a coal formation.
"A coal mine!" I cried.
"A mine without miners," my uncle replied.
"Who knows?" I asked.
"I know," the Professor pronounced decidedly, "I am certain that this
gallery driven through beds of coal was never pierced by the hand of
man. But whether it be the hand of nature or not does not matter.
Supper time is come; let us sup."
 Journey to the Center of the Earth |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Long Odds by H. Rider Haggard: Accordingly Tom took some matches and began starting little fires to
the left, and I did the same to the right. But the reeds were still
green at the bottom, and we should never have got them well alight had
it not been for the wind, which grew stronger and stronger as the sun
climbed higher, and forced the fire into them. At last, after
half-an-hour's trouble, the flames got a hold, and began to spread out
like a fan, whereupon I went round to the further side of the pan to
wait for the lions, standing well out in the open, as we stood at the
copse to-day where you shot the woodcock. It was a rather risky thing
to do, but I used to be so sure of my shooting in those days that I did
not so much mind the risk. Scarcely had I got round when I heard the
 Long Odds |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey: Mexican blankets and rugs.
Euchre knocked upon the side of the door.
"Is that you, Euchre?" asked a girl's voice, low, hesitatingly.
The tone of it, rather deep and with a note of fear, struck
Duane. He wondered what she would be like.
"Yes, it's me, Jennie. Where's Mrs. Bland?" answered Euchre.
"She went over to Deger's. There's somebody sick," replied the
girl.
Euchre turned and whispered something about luck. The snap of
the outlaw's eyes was added significance to Duane.
"Jennie, come out or let us come in. Here's the young man I was
 The Lone Star Ranger |