| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: Hand in hand they ran down the path to the tree-pillared room.
"The camp is deserted," Lute said, as she placed Planchette on the table.
"Mrs. Grantly and Aunt Mildred are lying down, and Mr. Barton has gone off
with Uncle Robert. There is nobody to disturb us." She placed her hand on the
board. "Now begin."
For a few minutes nothing happened. Chris started to speak, but she hushed him
to silence. The preliminary twitchings had appeared in her hand and arm. Then
the pencil began to write. They read the message, word by word, as it was
written:
There is wisdom greater than the wisdom of reason. Love proceeds not out of
the dry-as-dust way of the mind. Love is of the heart, and is beyond all
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft: delirium. Over a fourth of those who reported anything, reported
scenes and half-sounds not unlike those which Wilcox had described;
and some of the dreamers confessed acute fear of the gigantic
nameless thing visible toward the last. One case, which the note
describes with emphasis, was very sad. The subject, a widely known
architect with leanings toward theosophy and occultism, went violently
insane on the date of young Wilcox's seizure, and expired several
months later after incessant screamings to be saved from some
escaped denizen of hell. Had my uncle referred to these cases
by name instead of merely by number, I should have attempted some
corroboration and personal investigation; but as it was, I succeeded
Call of Cthulhu |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Riverman by Stewart Edward White: of floating logs that filled completely the mouth of the inlet
river. And behind this barrier were other logs, and yet others, as
far as the eye could see, so that the entire surface of the stream
was carpeted by the brown timbers. A man could have walked down the
middle of that river as down a highway.
On the bank, and in a small woods-opening, burned two fires, their
smoke ducking and twisting under the buffeting of the wind. The
first of these fires occupied a shallow trench dug for its
accommodation, and was overarched by a rustic framework from which
hung several pails, kettles, and pots. An injured-looking, chubby
man in a battered brown derby hat moved here and there. He divided
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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 Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Bronte Sisters: restored him to his mother, she seemed rather displeased at my
keeping him so long. She had shut up her sketch-book, and been,
probably, for some minutes impatiently waiting his return.
It was now high time to go home, she said, and would have bid me
good-evening, but I was not going to leave her yet: I accompanied
her half-way up the hill. She became more sociable, and I was
beginning to be very happy; but, on coming within sight of the grim
old hall, she stood still, and turned towards me while she spoke,
as if expecting I should go no further, that the conversation would
end here, and I should now take leave and depart - as, indeed, it
was time to do, for 'the clear, cold eve' was fast 'declining,' the
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall |
