| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Dracula by Bram Stoker: As yet we have passed only a few open boats, but none of them had on
board any box or package of anything like the size of the one we seek.
The men were scared every time we turned our electric lamp on them,
and fell on their knees and prayed.
1 November, evening.--No news all day. We have found nothing
of the kind we seek. We have now passed into the Bistritza,
and if we are wrong in our surmise our chance is gone.
We have overhauled every boat, big and little. Early this morning,
one crew took us for a Government boat, and treated
us accordingly. We saw in this a way of smoothing matters,
so at Fundu, where the Bistritza runs into the Sereth,
Dracula |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft: missing from Lake’s camp - shaken by a hard usage which must have
included forcible dragging along great reaches of snowless masonry
and debris, as well as much hand portage over utterly unnavigable
places. They were carefully and intelligently packed and strapped,
and contained things memorably familiar enough: the gasoline stove,
fuel cans, instrument cases, provision tins, tarpaulins obviously
bulging with books, and some bulging with less obvious contents
- everything derived from Lake’s equipment.
Alfer what we had
found in that other room, we were in a measure prepared for this
encounter. The really great shock came when we stepped over and
At the Mountains of Madness |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: position you can acknowledge. But in serving me, as you have lately
done at Berlin, you can win credit and repute."
"Monseigneur is very good."
"You displayed genius in that late affair at Gondreville."
"To what does Monseigneur allude?" said Corentin, with a manner that
was neither too reserved nor too surprised.
"Ah, Monsieur!" observed the minister, dryly, "you will never make a
successful man; you fear--"
"What, monseigneur?"
"Death!" replied Talleyrand, in his fine, deep voice. "Adieu, my good
friend."
|
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: that he was losing her, he did not know how, kept ex-
claiming: "Oh, here's a jolly one! look at this!" she lost
patience at last, and said, "Oh, don't bother me! I
don't care for them!" and burst into tears, and got up
and walked away.
Alfred dropped alongside and was going to try to
comfort her, but she said:
"Go away and leave me alone, can't you! I hate
you!"
So the boy halted, wondering what he could have
done -- for she had said she would look at pictures all
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
