| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy: as she went. That her absence, rather than her services or
instruction, was in request, had been readily apparent to
Elizabeth-Jane, simple as she seemed, and difficult as it
was to attribute a motive for the desire.
She had not been gone ten minutes when one of Lucetta's
servants was sent to Henchard's with a note. The contents
were briefly:--
DEAR MICHAEL,--You will be standing in view of my house to-
day for two or three hours in the course of your business,
so do please call and see me. I am sadly disappointed that
you have not come before, for can I help anxiety about my
 The Mayor of Casterbridge |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: He steered for me--I had to look after him, I worried about
his deficiencies, and thus a subtle bond had been created,
of which I only became aware when it was suddenly broken.
And the intimate profundity of that look he gave me when
he received his hurt remains to this day in my memory--
like a claim of distant kinship affirmed in a supreme moment.
"Poor fool! If he had only left that shutter alone.
He had no restraint, no restraint--just like Kurtz--a tree swayed
by the wind. As soon as I had put on a dry pair of slippers,
I dragged him out, after first jerking the spear out of his side,
which operation I confess I performed with my eyes shut tight.
 Heart of Darkness |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: is our only hope, Lady Greystoke, and you must place
your entire faith in me if I am to succeed. Wait for
me here a moment while I take from the Arab's body the
wallet that he stole from me," and Werper stepped
quickly to the dead man's side, and, kneeling, sought
with quick fingers the pouch of jewels. To his
consternation, there was no sign of them in the
garments of Achmet Zek. Rising, he walked back along
the trail, searching for some trace of the missing
pouch or its contents; but he found nothing, even
though he searched carefully the vicinity of his dead
 Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar |