| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne: One single question remained to be solved. At what precise
moment the projectile would reach the point of equal attraction,
on which the travelers must play their last card. In order to
calculate this to within a few seconds, Barbicane had only to
refer to his notes, and to reckon the different heights taken on
the lunar parallels. Thus the time necessary to travel over the
distance between the dead point and the south pole would be equal
to the distance separating the north pole from the dead point.
The hours representing the time traveled over were carefully
noted, and the calculation was easy. Barbicane found that this
point would be reached at one in the morning on the night of the
From the Earth to the Moon |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Talisman by Walter Scott: one end. "Can thy weapon, my brother, sever that cushion?" he
said to King Richard.
"No, surely," replied the King; "no sword on earth, were it the
Excalibur of King Arthur, can cut that which opposes no steady
resistance to the blow."
"Mark, then," said Saladin; and tucking up the sleeve of his
gown, showed his arm, thin indeed and spare, but which constant
exercise had hardened into a mass consisting of nought but bone,
brawn, and sinew. He unsheathed his scimitar, a curved and
narrow blade, which glittered not like the swords of the Franks,
but was, on the contrary, of a dull blue colour, marked with ten
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Under the Andes by Rex Stout: mountains hypnotize me. The snow, the solitude--for I am alone.
Your brother, what is he? And you, Paul, are scarcely aware of my
existence.
"I had my opportunity with you, and I laughed it away. And as
for the future--look! Do you see that waste of snow and ice,
glittering, cold, pitiless? Ha! Well, that is my grave."
I tried to believe that she was merely amusing herself, but
the glow in her eyes did not proceed from mirth. I followed her
fixed gaze across the trackless waste and, shivering, demanded:
"What morbid fancy is this, Desiree? Come, it is scarcely
pleasant."
|
