| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Child of Storm by H. Rider Haggard: to death--the guest of whom I have heard so much, although by misfortune
I was absent when he arrived."
"A difference of opinion with your eldest mother?" I suggested.
"Yes, Inkoosi; my own is dead, and I am not too well treated here. She
called me a witch."
"Did she?" I answered. "Well, I do not altogether wonder at it; but
please continue your story."
"There is none, Inkoosi. They brought you here, they told me how the
evil brute of a buffalo had nearly killed you in the pool; that is all."
"Yes, yes, Mameena; but how did I get out of the pool?"
"Oh, it seems that your servant, Sikauli, the bastard, leapt into the
Child of Storm |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: un-illuminated MSS., and the immediate consequence of this was the
destruction of numerous volumes written upon parchment, which were used
by the binders to strengthen the backs of their newly-printed rivals.
These slips of vellum or parchment are quite common in old books.
Sometimes whole sheets are used as fly-leaves, and often reveal
the existence of most valuable works, unknown before-proving, at
the same time, the small value formerly attached to them.
Many a bibliographer, while examining old books, has to his great
puzzlement come across short slips of parchment, nearly always from some
old manuscript, sticking out like "guards" from the midst of the leaves.
These suggest, at first, imperfections or damage done to the volume;
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Court Life in China by Isaac Taylor Headland: with added emphasis of Tze Hsi. For forty years she had to rise
at midnight, winter as well as summer, and go into the dark,
dreary, cold halls of the palace, lighted much of the time with
nothing but tallow dips, and heated only with brass braziers
filled with charcoal, and there sit behind a screen where she
could see no one, and no one could see her, and listen to the
reports of those who came to these dark audiences. Then she must,
in conjunction with them, compose edicts which were sent out to
the Peking Gazette, the oldest and poorest newspaper in the
world, to be carved on blocks, and printed, and then sent by
courier to every official in the empire. Ruling over a conquered
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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 Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft: the south. The squatters there, mostly primitive but good-natured
descendants of Lafitte's men, were in the grip of stark terror
from an unknown thing which had stolen upon them in the night.
It was voodoo, apparently, but voodoo of a more terrible sort
than they had ever known; and some of their women and children
had disappeared since the malevolent tom-tom had begun its incessant
beating far within the black haunted woods where no dweller ventured.
There were insane shouts and harrowing screams, soul-chilling
chants and dancing devil-flames; and, the frightened messenger
added, the people could stand it no more.
So a body of twenty
Call of Cthulhu |
