| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: vicious swings Joe aimed at him; he parried many blows, any one of which would
have crushed his skull. Nimble as a cat, he avoided every rush, while his dark
eyes watched for an opening. He fought wholly on the defensive, craftily
reserving his strength until his opponent should tire.
At last, catching the bar on his hatchet, he broke the force of the blow, and
then, with agile movement, dropped to the ground and grappled Joe's legs. Long
before this he had drawn his knife, and now he used it, plunging the blade
into the young man's side.
Cunning and successful as was the savage's ruse, it failed signally, for to
get hold of the Shawnee was all Joe wanted. Feeling the sharp pain as they
fell together, he reached his hand behind him and caught Silvertip's wrist.
 The Spirit of the Border |
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 People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: in, high over the surrounding cliffs. From the plane I looked
down through a mist upon the blurred landscape beneath me.
The hot, humid atmosphere of Caspak condenses as it is fanned
by the cold Antarctic air-currents which sweep across the
crater's top, sending a tenuous ribbon of vapor far out across
the Pacific. Through this the picture gave one the suggestion
of a colossal impressionistic canvas in greens and browns and
scarlets and yellows surrounding the deep blue of the inland
sea--just blobs of color taking form through the tumbling mist.
I dived close to the cliffs and skirted them for several miles
without finding the least indication of a suitable landing-place;
 The People That Time Forgot |