Flying Through Water: Part 2

by Mamle Wolo
In this novel, Sena, a 15-year-old boy from Ghana, tries to help his family get through a difficult time, but when he falls into the clutches of human traffickers, he must do everything he can to escape and return home.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part 1: Chapters 1-6, Part 1: Chapters 7-12, Part 2, Part 3
15 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    I leaned my head against the window and fell into a stupor somewhere between sleep and dread.
  2. alight
    settle or come to rest
    We alighted with cramped limbs and no idea where we were.
  3. abode
    housing that someone is living in
    Just as I began to wonder if I was already asleep and dreaming, we finally reached the boat master’s place, or rather shack, or set of shacks, because that was what my new abode was.
  4. interminable
    tiresomely long; seemingly without end
    I had to stop and convince myself I was still in the same world, that this moment really was part of the same interminable day, now finally at an end.
  5. wretch
    someone you feel sorry for
    I could only guess at the horrors in store that were going to turn me from the seasick wretch I was right now into one of the work machines sitting silently around me.
  6. mirth
    great merriment
    Incredulously, I detected mirth in his voice, and sure enough he started to laugh, cueing the others.
  7. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    But this time as I thought of him a gentle calm settled over me, pushing away the shame and hurt as though spiriting me away for a healing respite.
  8. buffet
    strike against forcefully
    I had not expected such waves in a lake, but the wind whipped them up, and they buffeted me ruthlessly.
  9. modicum
    a small or moderate or token amount
    He was the only one toward whom the brute displayed any modicum of trust.
  10. serenity
    the absence of mental stress or anxiety
    I felt guilty when I thought of Togbe too, but the truth was I could no longer even recall the serenity of fishing in the creek.
  11. reverie
    an abstracted state of absorption
    Seth’s wheeze broke into my reverie.
  12. render
    cause to become
    Shock and fear rendered us speechless, but I knew I wasn’t the only one cursing the master as we headed to shore.
  13. delirium
    a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion
    In my delirium I thought he was Mawuli, with plump, still-babyish cheeks.
  14. ethereal
    characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
    There was water in every direction, as far as I could see, and an ethereal mist hovered above it.
  15. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    And suddenly, with explosive joy, I felt land beneath my feet again, and mustered the last of my strength to flop, finally, back onto dry land, while a large, bulky shape turned and swam slowly away.
Created on Thu Sep 18 08:18:10 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Nov 10 10:27:06 EST 2025)

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