| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H. P. Lovecraft: wondered how with such speed the earth could still stretch beneath
them, but knew that in the land of dream dimensions have strange
properties. That they were in a realm of eternal night he felt
certain, and he fancied that the constellations overhead had subtly
emphasized their northward focus; gathering themselves up as it
were to cast the flying army into the void of the boreal pole,
as the folds of a bag are gathered up to cast out the last bits
of substance therein.
Then he noticed with terror that the wings
of the night-gaunts were not flapping any more. The horned and
faceless steeds had folded their membranous appendages, and were
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath |
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 Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: handsome; but her pallid skin told of secret sufferings that made her
interesting. She had, moreover, an elegant figure, and the finest hair
in the world. Guarded by a tiger, she risked her life in whispering a
word, accepting a look, and permitting a mere pressure of the hand.
Love may never have been more deeply felt than in those hearts, never
more delightfully enjoyed, but certainly no passion was ever more
perilous. It was easy to divine that to these two beings air, sound,
foot-falls, etc., things indifferent to other men, presented hidden
qualities, peculiar properties which they distinguished. Perhaps their
love made them find faithful interpreters in the icy hands of the old
priest to whom they confessed their sins, and from whom they received
|
