| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Master of the World by Jules Verne: Wells went to warn our men, while I stole forward again to the very
edge of the water.
The "Terror" lay at the end of a short cable. As well as I could
judge, she was long and slim, shaped like a spindle, without chimney,
without masts, without rigging, such a shape as had been described
when she was seen on the coast of New England.
I returned to my place, with my men in the shelter of the ravine; and
we looked to our revolvers, which might well prove of service.
Five minutes had passed since the men reached the woods, and we
expected their return at any moment. After that, we must wait at
least an hour before we made our attack; so that both the Captain and
|
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: were on the walls of a frightful abyss below even the ancient
ground level - a cavern perhaps two hundred feet square and sixty
feet high, which had almost undoubtedly been an educational center
of some sort. There were many provoking repetitions of the same
material in different rooms and buildings, since certain chapters
of experience, and certain summaries or phases of racial history,
had evidently been favorites with different decorators or dwellers.
Sometimes, though, variant versions of the same theme proved useful
in settling debatable points and filling up gaps.
I still wonder
that we deduced so much in the short time at our disposal. Of
 At the Mountains of Madness |