Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Vocabulary List Chapters 10-18

spoken or done forcefully

"Sure," I say, emphatic, but it hurts to say it.

to search through or into : study closely

There are hundreds, thousands of miles of water to explore.

to pause before doing something

I hesitate.

to fly or float in the air without moving far in any direction

"Hovering, breathing over the gulf, ready to pounce."

a vague notion : HINT

There's an inkling... a scratching in my mid.

the attractive quality of speech or music that rises and falls in a pleasing pattern

Grandmère's voice lilts, her lovely sound making the words more awful.

a place where a boat can be fastened so it will not float away

Bear maneuvers the airboat to its mooring.

lying or moving in the same direction but always the same distance apart

She's parallel, just beneath me.

rendered incapable of movement or action

Something with two heads, big teeth, and a tail that stings, paralyzes.

not moving but ready to move

Poised in the air, the moon looks like Mami Wata's crown.

of a bird : to use the beak to clean and arrange feathers

Her feathers ruffle, but she's just preening.

to cook gently at or just below the boiling point

I smell sweets simmering.

slow in movement or reaction

The water is sluggish as ever.

very sad or serious

Grandemère's face is somber.

a thick usually small patch of bushes or low trees

We swim downstream toward a thicket of cypress trees.

a quivering or vibratory motion

I hear a high tremor like harp strings.

having or giving the sense of life, vigor, or action

The moon glistens vibrant white.

to twist or move like a worm : SQUIRM, WIGGLE

On my belly, I scoot and wriggle toward the water's edge.