| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft: one previously found - star-shaped, but no marks of breakage except
at some of the points.
"Of organic specimens, eight apparently
perfect, with all appendages. Have brought all to surface, leading
off dogs to distance. They cannot stand the things. Give close
attention to description and repeat back for accuracy Papers must
get this right.
"Objects are eight feet long all over. Six-foot,
five-ridged barrel torso three and five-tenths feet central diameter,
one foot end diameters. Dark gray, flexible, and infinitely tough.
Seven-foot membranous wings of same color, found folded, spread
At the Mountains of Madness |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: rapidly, and presently I was forced to admit that I was through.
"It's no use, Ajor," I said, "I've come as far as I can. It may
be that if I sleep, I can go on again after," but I knew that
that was not true, and that the end was near. "Yes, sleep,"
said Ajor. "We will sleep together--forever."
She crept close to me as I lay on the hard floor and pillowed
her head upon my arm. With the little strength which remained
to me, I drew her up until our lips touched, and, then I
whispered: "Good-bye!" I must have lost consciousness almost
immediately, for I recall nothing more until I suddenly awoke
out of a troubled sleep, during which I dreamed that I was
The People That Time Forgot |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Seraphita by Honore de Balzac: obtains form except by the Divinity which is an effect of Number? The
least as well as the greatest of creations are distinguishable from
each other by quantities, qualities, dimensions, forces,--all
attributes created by Number. The infinitude of Numbers is a fact
proved to your soul, but of which no material proof can be given. The
mathematician himself tells you that the infinite of numbers exists,
but cannot be proved.
"God, dear pastor, is a Number endowed with motion,--felt, but not
seen, the Believer will tell you. Like the Unit, He begins Number,
with which He has nothing in common. The existence of Number depends
on the Unit, which without being a number engenders Number. God, dear
Seraphita |
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 The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: sail with which to equip the canoe, for he despaired of being able
to teach the apes to wield the paddles, though he did manage to get
several of them to embark in the frail craft which he and Mugambi
paddled about inside the reef where the water was quite smooth.
During these trips he had placed paddles in their hands,
when they attempted to imitate the movements of him and
Mugambi, but so difficult is it for them long to concentrate
upon a thing that he soon saw that it would require weeks of
patient training before they would be able to make any
effective use of these new implements, if, in fact,
they should ever do so.
The Beasts of Tarzan |
