Healer of the Water Monster: Chapters 7–11

by Brian Young
Nathan, an eleven-year-old Navajo boy, sets out on a journey to find a cure for a sick water monster that he discovers in a desert.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 6, Chapters 7–11, Chapters 12–22, Chapter 23–November
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    “Shinálí, what did you mean that a water monster told you to tell me ‘Enemy Way’?” she asked, driving the truck on the undulating dirt road.
  2. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    Up in the Lukachukai Mountains, the heat wasn’t as oppressive.
  3. corral
    a pen for cattle
    There was also a sheep corral with reflective aluminum panels as fencing, unlike the barbed wire of Nali’s.
  4. bale
    a large bundle bound for storage or transport
    He shook apart bales of hay to feed his flock.
  5. delicate
    marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique
    When I start working with new patients, I look at the symptoms and try to diagnose them. But be very careful to make sure that you yourself don’t get sick from what’s affecting them. Healing is a delicate process.
  6. residual
    relating to or indicating a remainder
    He patted Nathan’s back and went back into the hogan, leaving Nathan to suffer through the residual pangs of pain.
  7. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    A few elaborate handwoven rugs fell onto the dirt.
  8. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
    Some had very intricate and detailed geometrical shapes.
  9. mesa
    flat tableland with steep edges
    They were at the base of the sandstone mesa, which was now dark purple.
  10. salvation
    rescuing or protecting someone or something from harm
    “Water monster youth, what makes you worthy of salvation?” Darkness said.
  11. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    “Human promises are fickle,” Darkness said.
  12. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    “Well, we shall find out how much weight your promises carry, won’t we? When you are ready, human youth, I will assess you.”
  13. disembodied
    not having a material form
    He was a disembodied consciousness.
  14. clarity
    the quality of being coherent and easily understood
    The loud voices began to lose their volume and clarity.
  15. reacquaint
    become familiar with again
    “What do you mean ‘greatness’?” Nathan asked, reacquainting himself with having limbs and a face.
  16. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
    “This communication stone is still malleable. It will take the shape of any jewelry you wish it to be. Once you find a piece of jewelry that suits you, place this stone into it and it will solidify.”
  17. prone
    having a tendency
    I’ve encountered her assistant, who is prone to dropping things.
  18. suffice
    be adequate, either in quality or quantity
    A sash with a pocket woven from the finest weaver should suffice as payment.
  19. grating
    unpleasantly harsh in sound
    This new voice was grating, like listening to metal scratching metal, or a dying rat.
  20. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    The eyes seethed at Nathan, who stumbled backward.
  21. meddle
    intrude in other people's affairs or business
    You dare meddle in my affairs?
  22. bulbous
    rounded and bulging
    The rest of the eight legs hoisted his bulbous abdomen out of the shadows.
  23. blasphemy
    the act of depriving something of its sacred character
    “Blasphemy!” Grandpa Firewood said. “We’ve lived here for generations! We can’t just up and leave. Wherever would we live? No. End of discussion.”
  24. plethora
    extreme excess
    A plethora of tiny voices yelled, “Outhouse? What is that?”
  25. rappel
    lower oneself with a rope coiled around the body from a mountainside
    On the ceiling, he rappelled down and hung in front of Nathan’s face.
  26. obliged
    having a moral duty to do something
    “Honorable Nathan,” the young female spider said, “I have an unusual request. You are not obliged to say yes, you can say no.”
  27. ulterior
    lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed
    Please don’t be mad at me, but I must admit I had ulterior motives for moving my family to the outhouse. With the majority of them here, I could move back to the woodpile.
  28. sow
    place seeds in or on the ground for future growth
    Nathan didn’t dare to re-sow the traditional kernels, at least not until the horned toad had been dealt with.
  29. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Nathan could hear his father suppressing laughter.
  30. bout
    a period of illness
    I had a dreadful bout of nausea and couldn’t leave my den.
  31. basin
    a natural depression in the surface of the land
    “We’ll bring the rains back, Pond. You’ll see. And soon, your waters will return, and I can call you Lake instead of Pond.” He pulled the purified water bottle from his pocket and poured it into the basin.
  32. crest
    the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
    Pond charged up a mound, and at the crest Nathan could see a huge amount of the desert.
  33. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Nathan desperately wanted his head to be massaged but couldn’t muster up enough energy to ask.
  34. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    Uncle Jet inhaled deeply and took a moment to regain his composure.
  35. bland
    lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting
    He noticed that the emotional heaviness had transformed into bland lifelessness.
  36. prompt
    performed with little or no delay
    “Don’t be afraid, human youth. Several of your ancestors have used my back as a means of travel before. I know how to make your journey safe and prompt.”
  37. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
    The sadness he had been feeling diminished. The racing winds in front of him pulled his lips into a wide smile.
  38. distinguish
    detect with the senses
    The closer Nathan got to it, the more details he was able to distinguish.
  39. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    Wind Being’s hand beckoned him and pushed aside the blue-silver strings, moving them like fabric.
  40. comprise
    be made of
    There was a female being comprised primarily of dim silver light; her skin had the same glow and splotchy texture as the moon.
Created on Mon Aug 29 11:30:52 EDT 2022 (updated Tue Oct 04 13:23:27 EDT 2022)

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