Passage and Piece - an SRL Phrase Game

[Tegid]

He was still sitting there, feeling sorry for himself, when he heard a soft hissing in his ear. He turned to see a thin green grass snake slipping down the bank to the water. "Oh, hello, Glynnis," he said unhappily.

"Hello, Jeremy," replied the green snake. "Why so sssad?"

"You mean you haven't heard what a fool I am?"

"Should I have?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I thought all of Riverbank knew by now. The swans and ducks are having a good laugh."

"Don't mind them. You know what they're like," soothed the snake. "Besidesss, to a fool all things are foolish." Glynnis regarded the vole closely. "Surely, it isn't ssso bad."

"Bad enough. There was a picnic basket and I --" he broke off with a groan. "What's the use? They're right -- I am a fool for believing in the heron."

"The heron -- you mean the Great Blue Heron?"

"That's the one," said Jeremy. "How did you know?"

"I guesssed," replied Glynnis slyly. "Tell me more."

Jeremy took a deep breath and began to tell the grass snake about the heron and his message and all that had happened as a result. When he finished, he said, "Now I suppose you think I'm a fool, too, for believing all this nonsense about blue herons and floods."

"I don't sssee that it mattersss what I think," said Glynnis. "The point isss: can you be more of a fool than you already are?"

Jeremy thought for a moment. "No," he answered at last. "I don't see how."

"Well, then," said the snake, "there you are."

"Where is that exactly?" wondered Jeremy, a little puzzled. "I don't understand."

"You must," whispered Glynnis. "Oh, you mussst." And she slithered away.

-- (The Tale of Jeremy Vole)

[karenee]

"What need have you of two eyes if one sees clearly enough? What need have you of two hands if one grips the sword tightly enough? What need have you of two legs if one runs swiftly enough? What need have you of two ears if--"

"Enough! I understand."

"But it is not enough," replied the exalted Emrys. "That is what I'm saying."

"Then tell me what I must do to quiet you, and you may be certain that I will do it at once."

At this the lords laughed aloud and clamored their acclaim of Arthur and his Wise Counsellor. When they had quieted, Myrddin announced his plan.

--(Arthur[/u])

[Tegid]

"All is not well, by heaven!" roared the knight. "Our horses have vanished, too."

"Vanished?"

"Spirited away!"

The rider's bald brow furrowed, and tiny creases formed at the corners of his eyes. "But I -- are you certain, sire?"

-- (Hood)

[karenee]

"The mountains of the Himalaya were looked upon by these ancient people as the homes of the gods and demons and other strange beings. They believed that in the high hills and among the snowcapped mountain peaks magic cities lay hidden from mortal eyes. The gods lived in these cities and went about their own business, for the most part staying away from men.
"There were three main groups. The Nagas, or snake spirits, dwelt in an underground city called Bhogavati and there guarded great treasures. Thy were usually represented as at least half human. They seem to have special protective powers, possibly owing to their function as guardians.
"Then there were the Vidyadharas, or heavenly magicians. These created the magic cities of the high Himalayas and could fly through the air and transform themselves at will. Little is known about them; they had little to do with men. (Dream Thief)

[Tegid]

When Henderson hesitated, Archelon said, "Don't worry. This is between friends, right? A friendly discussion between two business associates who might be able to help one another out -- to the mutual benefit of both. And we can all use a little help now and then -- am I right?"

"Suppose, purely for the sake of argument, you are right," said The Prophet. "What then?"

"As it happens, I've been thinking about what an operation like yours might possibly require to make it run more smoothly, and I have some ideas that I'd like to share with you." Archelon paused and looked for some reaction from The Prophet. There was no spark of interest, however tiny. He plunged on regardless. -- (City of Dreams)

[karenee]

"That sounds interesting." Spence was dying for something half-intelligent to say. At least he had passed imbecile and was now merely moronic.

"Does it? I suppose so, to a scientist, I mean. I have no desire to go tramping around on Mars or anywhere else. I didn't even like the jump up here very much."

(Dream Thief)

[Tegid]

Some of the soldiers braved the wall of flames. Turning thier mounts, they jumped the burning logs and struggled into the bramble-bound undergrowth. -- (Hood)

[karenee]

When the workmen and their teams at last finished putting the capstone on the dolmen, the sun was well down, casting a rich, honeyedlight over the turf mound. The shadow of the dolmen stretched long across the green plain. I commanded Gwion to bring my harp and I gathered the host to sing the "Lament for the Brave". - (The Silver Hand)

[Tegid]

The day had turned hazy and hot in the open places, the skies clear for the most part with but a smudgy suggestion of cloud to the west. The road, though deep rutted and lumpy, was dry as parchment. A drowsy hush lay over the rising woodland, as if the trees themselves dozed in the heat. The drivers did not press their teams too hard; the day was hot, wagons were heavy, and they were loath to hurry. The food would arrive when it arrived, and that would be soon enough. -- (Hood)

[karenee]

The old head came up slowly. Lizard-like. The large oval yellow eyes gazed outward from under half-closed lids. Yellowed skin, the color and texture of ancient parchment, stretched tautly over a smooth, flat skull and hung in folds around the sagging neck. Not a hair remained in the scalp; not a whisker, not an eyelash. - (Dream Thief)

[Tegid]

"Then I am free to go?" said Bran, surprised that it should be so easy.

"Swear it," said de Braose.

Bran looked his enemy in the eye and said, "I do swear on the Cross of Christ that I will return with money enough to purchase my ransom." He glanced at the two knights standing by the door. "I can go now?"

De Braose inclined his long head. "Yes, and I urge you to make haste. Bring the money to me before sunset. If you fail, you will be caught and your life will be forfeit -- understand?" -- (Hood)

[karenee]

I did not mention it before because I didn't want to alarm you, but I think it possible that they intend to use Ari for ransom in case there is trouble. - (Dream Thief)

[Tegid]

For some reason, I did not mention to him that I had seen an image, or vision, of the cup. I do not know why. He would have been keenly interested to hear of it, but something held me back -- as if it was unseemly to say anything about it just yet. I remember thinking, "Later I will tell him. We must get back to Maridunum." Although we were in no particular hurry at the time, it seemed best to let it go. -- (Merlin)

[karenee]

The shadowy shapes dissolved then and Charis thought the stone would go dim. Instead, the shapes reformed and she saw a road, and on the road, his sturdy legs stumping rhythmically, a man unlike any she had ever seen before: a man of frightful mien whose body was covered with fur. His craggy, beard-covered face was blistered from the sun and his filthy hair stood out wildly from his head. This terrible man carried a long staff, swinging it as he went, yellow fire blazing from its top.

This vision faded in its turn and the stone went cold once more. -(Taliesin)

[Tegid]

Kyr entered the krassil and Spence followed with a hand pressed to his side, doubled over as if with a stomach ache. "Sit down here," instructed Kyr, and Spence saw a semicircle of indented hollows shaped into a low bank before a flat portion of the curved wall of the hive. He sat down in one of the hollows and waited.

Almost at once the interior of the hive darkened and a sound, eerily sweet, lie violins with the voices of birds, or the songs of whales, filled the chamber, rising and falling in regular rhythm like breathing. It was, as Spence had come to understand, Martian music, and like their architecture and everything else of Martian design, it was free-flowing and organic. -- (Dream Thief)