| 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: peculiar fashion known as life. That the psychic or intellectual
life might be impaired by the slight deterioration of sensitive
brain-cells which even a short period of death would be apt to
cause, West fully realised. It had at first been his hope to find
a reagent which would restore vitality before the actual advent
of death, and only repeated failures on animals had shewn him
that the natural and artificial life-motions were incompatible.
He then sought extreme freshness in his specimens, injecting his
solutions into the blood immediately after the extinction of life.
It was this circumstance which made the professors so carelessly
sceptical, for they felt that true death had not occurred in any
Herbert West: Reanimator |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: "And is not the wire cut?" said Michael.
"It is cut between Kolyvan and Krasnoiarsk, but it is
still working between Kolyvan and the Russian frontier."
"For the government?"
"For the government, when it thinks proper. For the
public, when they pay. Ten copecks a word, whenever
you like, sir!"
Michael was about to reply to this strange clerk that he
had no message to send, that he only implored a little bread
and water, when the door of the house was again thrown
open.
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