| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Twelve Stories and a Dream by H. G. Wells: abashed and awkward, the ghost of a weak, silly, aimless young man.
'I'm haunting,' he said.
"'You haven't any business to,' I said in a quiet voice.
"'I'm a ghost,' he said, as if in defence.
"'That may be, but you haven't any business to haunt here. This is
a respectable private club; people often stop here with nursemaids
and children, and, going about in the careless way you do, some poor
little mite could easily come upon you and be scared out of her wits.
I suppose you didn't think of that?'
"'No, sir,' he said, 'I didn't.'
"'You should have done. You haven't any claim on the place, have you?
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft: animation. Especially were we apprehensive concerning the mind
and impulses of the creature, since in the space following death
some of the more delicate cerebral cells might well have suffered
deterioration. I, myself, still held some curious notions about
the traditional "soul" of man, and felt an awe at the secrets
that might be told by one returning from the dead. I wondered
what sights this placid youth might have seen in inaccessible
spheres, and what he could relate if fully restored to life. But
my wonder was not overwhelming, since for the most part I shared
the materialism of my friend. He was calmer than I as he forced
a large quantity of his fluid into a vein of the body’s arm, immediately
Herbert West: Reanimator |
