| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: before one, it is like a whole apron, and if one holds it over one's head in
rainy weather, it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is so immensely
large. The burdock never grows alone, but where there grows one there always
grow several: it is a great delight, and all this delightfulness is snails'
food. The great white snails which persons of quality in former times made
fricassees of, ate, and said, "Hem, hem! how delicious!" for they thought it
tasted so delicate--lived on dockleaves, and therefore burdock seeds were
sown.
Now, there was an old manor-house, where they no longer ate snails, they were
quite extinct; but the burdocks were not extinct, they grew and grew all over
the walks and all the beds; they could not get the mastery over them--it was a
Fairy Tales |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: He shook the reins and rode forward, keeping about the same
distance in the rear of the gray old shadow, till the latter was
concealed by a bend of the road. On reaching this point, the
pedlar no longer saw the man on horseback, but found himself at
the head of the village street, not far from a number of stores
and two taverns, clustered round the meeting-house steeple. On
his left were a stone wall and a gate, the boundary of a woodlot,
beyond which lay an orchard, farther still, a mowing field, and
last of all, a house. These were the premises of Mr.
Higginbotham, whose dwelling stood beside the old highway, but
had been left in the background by the Kimballton turnpike.
Twice Told Tales |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey: searched for softer ground. Meanwhile the shadows merged into
darkness. The stars shone. The wind rose. Madeline believed
hours passed.
Stewart halted again. In the gloom Madeline discerned a log
cabin, and beyond it pear-pointed dark trees piercing the
sky-line. She could just make out Stewart's tall form as he
leaned against his horse. Either he was listening or debating
what to do--perhaps both. Presently he went inside the cabin.
Madeline heard the scratching of a match; then she saw a faint
light. The cabin appeared to be deserted. Probably it was one
of the many habitations belonging to prospectors and foresters
The Light of Western Stars |
