| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: and suddenly desisted. Our hands met gropingly,
lingered united in a steady, motionless clasp for a second.
. . . No word was breathed by either of us when they separated.
I was standing quietly by the pantry door when the steward returned.
"Sorry, sir. Kettle barely warm. Shall I light the spirit lamp?"
"Never mind."
I came out on deck slowly. It was now a matter of conscience
to shave the land as close as possible--for now he must go overboard
whenever the ship was put in stays. Must! There could be no going
back for him. After a moment I walked over to leeward and my
heart flew into my mouth at the nearness of the land on the bow.
The Secret Sharer |
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 My Antonia by Willa Cather: and advertising cards which I had brought from my `old country.'
Fuchs got out the old candle-moulds and made tallow candles.
Grandmother hunted up her fancy cake-cutters and baked gingerbread men
and roosters, which we decorated with burnt sugar and red cinnamon drops.
On the day before Christmas, Jake packed the things we were sending to
the Shimerdas in his saddle-bags and set off on grandfather's grey gelding.
When he mounted his horse at the door, I saw that he had a hatchet
slung to his belt, and he gave grandmother a meaning look which told me
he was planning a surprise for me. That afternoon I watched long and
eagerly from the sitting-room window. At last I saw a dark spot moving
on the west hill, beside the half-buried cornfield, where the sky was
My Antonia |
