| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: invented judges and courts of law to secure their goods, and the
guillotine--that candle in which so many lie in silk, under silken
coverlets, there is remorse, and grinding of teeth beneath a smile,
and those fantastical lions' jaws are gaping to set their fangs in
your heart."
" ' "Protest the bill! Can you mean it?" she cried, with her eyes upon
me; "could you have so little consideration for me?"
" ' "If the King himself owed money to me, madame, and did not pay it,
I should summons him even sooner than any other debtor."
" 'While we were speaking, somebody tapped gently at the door.
" ' "I cannot see any one," she cried imperiously.
Gobseck |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: party with a girl who's all wet and disheveled, looking like a
drowned rat? You want people to laugh at me? Think of somebody
besides yourself for a change. Now fix your makeup and keep your
mouth shut."
Indecision
Once upon a time a dozen or so curious travelers rented a boat for a
cruise out to an enchanted island, where, it was said, Athena sat on
her throne dispensing rich gifts to all. The trip was smooth enough
for awhile, with only a few rough seas to endure and an occasional
shoal to avoid. But then one morning one of the passengers discovered
that the boat was taking on water.
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