| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft: and when someone in the college district had reported hearing
a scratching at a shuttered window, the net was quickly spread.
On account of the general alarm and precautions, there were only
two more victims, and the capture was effected without major casualties.
The thing was finally stopped by a bullet, though not a fatal
one, and was rushed to the local hospital amidst universal excitement
and loathing.
For it had been a man. This much was clear despite
the nauseous eyes, the voiceless simianism, and the daemoniac
savagery. They dressed its wound and carted it to the asylum at
Sefton, where it beat its head against the walls of a padded cell
Herbert West: Reanimator |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Exiles by Honore de Balzac: circle above his forehead, and not showing a single hair. It was the
strictest mourning, the gloomiest habit a man could wear. But for a
long sword that hung by his side from a leather belt which could be
seen where his surcoat hung open, a priest would have hailed him as a
brother. Though of no more than middle height, he appeared tall; and,
looking him in the face he seemed a giant.
"The clock has struck, the boat is waiting; will you not come?"
At these words, spoken in bad French, but distinctly audible in the
silence, a little noise was heard in the other top room, and the young
man came down as lightly as a bird.
When Godefroid appeared, the lady's face turned crimson; she trembled,
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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 The Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: thing of the past; and now I should find it difficult to define
what there was so exceptional in her, what it was in her
attracted me so much; at the time, at dinner, it was all
perfectly clear to me. I saw a lovely young, good, intelligent,
fascinating woman, such as I had never met before; and I felt her
at once some one close and already familiar, as though that face,
those cordial, intelligent eyes, I had seen somewhere in my
childhood, in the album which lay on my mother's chest of
drawers.
"Four Jews were charged with being incendiaries, were regarded as
a gang of robbers, and, to my mind, quite groundlessly. At dinner
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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 The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum: conquer the Oz people without our help, and so save us the trouble?"
"Alas!" replied the crafty old Nome, "no magician is able to do
everything. The transformations are easy to us because we are
Li-Mon-Eags, but we cannot fight, or conquer even such weak creatures
as the Oz people. But we will stay with you and advise and help you,
and we will transform all the Oz people into beasts, when the time
comes, and all the beasts into people."
Gugu the King turned to his Counselors.
"How shall we answer this friendly stranger?" he asked.
Loo the former Unicorn was dancing around and cutting capers like a clown.
"On my word, your Majesty," he said, "this being a man is more fun
The Magic of Oz |
