| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin: hundred yards above him; and he thought of the dwarf's words, that
no one could succeed except in his first attempt; and he tried to
pass the dog, but it whined piteously and Gluck stopped again.
"Poor beastie," said Gluck, "it'll be dead when I come down
again, if I don't help it." Then he looked closer and closer at
it, and its eye turned on him so mournfully that he could not stand
it. "Confound the king and his gold too," said Gluck, and he
opened the flask and poured all the water into the dog's mouth.
The dog sprang up and stood on its hind legs. Its tail
disappeared; its ears became long, longer, silky, golden; its nose
became very red; its eyes became very twinkling; in three seconds
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Buttered Side Down by Edna Ferber: "Sure," said Gabe. "That's me."
"Miss Bauer's nurse telephones down last week that if a
gentleman named Marks--Gabe I. Marks--drops in and inquires for
Miss Bauer, I'm to tell him that she's changed her mind."
On the way from Spiegel's corset department to the car, Gabe
stopped only for a bunch of violets. Effie's apartment house
reached, he sent up his card, the violets, and a message that the
gentleman was waiting. There came back a reply that sent Gabie up
before the violets were relieved of their first layer of tissue
paper.
Effie was sitting in a deep chair by the window, a flowered
 Buttered Side Down |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: of mine, and tying the three pieces of gold in a corner, pressed it on him.
He was touched, I supposed, because he took it at last and tied it quickly
round his waist under the jacket, on his bare skin.
Our eyes met; several seconds elapsed, till, our glances
still mingled, I extended my hand and turned the lamp out.
Then I passed through the cuddy, leaving the door of my room wide open.
. . . "Steward!"
He was still lingering in the pantry in the greatness of his zeal,
giving a rub-up to a plated cruet stand the last thing before going to bed.
Being careful not to wake up the mate, whose room was opposite, I spoke
in an undertone.
 The Secret Sharer |