| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum: "only there's no back at all, but two fronts."
Having made the turn, the being sat motionless as before, while Toto
barked louder at the white man than he had done at the black one.
"Once," said the shaggy man, "I had a jumping jack like that,
with two faces."
"Was it alive?" asked Button-Bright.
"No," replied the shaggy man; "it worked on strings and was made of wood."
"Wonder if this works with strings," said Dorothy; but Polychrome
cried "Look!" for another creature just like the first had suddenly
appeared sitting on another rock, its black side toward them. The two
twisted their heads around and showed a black face on the white side
 The Road to Oz |
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 Desert Gold by Zane Grey: no news good news.
Among the many changes coming to pass in Forlorn River were the
installing of post-office service and the building of a mescal
drinking-house. Belding had worked hard for the post office, but
he did not like the idea of a saloon for Forlorn River. Still, that
was an inevitable evil. The Mexicans would have mescal. Belding
had kept the little border hamlet free of an establishment for
distillation of the fiery cactus drink. A good many Americans
drifted into Forlorn River--miners, cowboys, prospectors, outlaws,
and others of nondescript character; and these men, of course,
made the saloon, which was also an inn, their headquarters.
 Desert Gold |