Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Vocabulary List Chapters 7-9

afraid or nervous especially about what may happen

Anxious, me and Bear glance at each other.

to flow or fall rapidly and in large quantity

Yellow light cascades.

to laugh because you are amused or pleased by something

"Look who's here — Queenie's come," chortles Mister Cochon.

loss of hope : a feeling of complete hopelessness

"But, for Membe, joy became despair."

a strong feeling of happiness : great pleasure or satisfaction

Gleeful, he smacks his plump lips.

to put in as if by pouring

"Who infused it with love."

the ability to know something without having proof

If you're lucky, when you need them most, feelings, dreams become intuition."

to feel astonishment or wonder

I marvel Mister Cochon doesn't run out of food.

full of sorrow or sadness

I don't understand the French; I only know her mournful sounds make me cry.

to sit or rest on a raised seat or position

A firefly, light as silk, perches on my shoulder.

to gradually become smaller, weaker, or less before stopping or ending

Grandmère's song fades, petering out like she's lost air.

relating to or suitable for a king or queen : ROYAL

On the porch, she stands regal, strong.

to live permanently and continuously : DWELL

"Since the beginning of mankind, people from the top of the world to its bottom have sworn magical creatures reside in oceans, rivers, and streams."

to collect usable things from what has been discarded

Birds — even the buzzards that scavenge dead things — joined herons, pelicans, and crows, squawking until the sky shook.

a large number of people or things

It's like he knew a slew of folks were going to share his pot.

a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, or trust in magic or chance

"Some say: 'Mami Wata? Nothing but superstition.'"