| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde: how it came here"; and he picked the rocket out of the ditch.
"OLD Stick!" said the Rocket, "impossible! GOLD Stick, that is
what he said. Gold Stick is very complimentary. In fact, he
mistakes me for one of the Court dignitaries!"
"Let us put it into the fire!" said the other boy, "it will help to
boil the kettle."
So they piled the faggots together, and put the Rocket on top, and
lit the fire.
"This is magnificent," cried the Rocket, "they are going to let me
off in broad day-light, so that every one can see me."
"We will go to sleep now," they said, "and when we wake up the
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce: thought of his wife and children urged him on. At last he
found a road which led him in what he knew to be the right
direction. It was as wide and straight as a city street, yet
it seemed untraveled. No fields bordered it, no dwelling
anywhere. Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested
human habitation. The black bodies of the trees formed a
straight wall on both sides, terminating on the horizon in a
point, like a diagram in a lesson in perspective. Overhead,
as he looked up through this rift in the wood, shone great
golden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange
constellations. He was sure they were arranged in some order
 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: Robin Hood and many of his band lay upon the soft green grass,
while Allan a Dale sang and played upon his sweetly sounding harp.
All listened in silence, for young Allan's singing was one of the greatest
joys in all the world to them; but as they so listened there came
of a sudden the sound of a horse's feet, and presently Little John
and Will Stutely came forth from the forest path into the open glade,
young Richard Partington riding between them upon his milk-white horse.
The three came toward where Robin Hood sat, all the band staring with might
and main, for never had they seen so gay a sight as this young Page,
nor one so richly clad in silks and velvets and gold and jewels.
Then Robin arose and stepped forth to meet him, and Partington leaped from
 The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |