Small Spaces: Chapters 12–17

by Katherine Arden
Ollie reads books to distract herself from grief — and finds herself caught up in a real-life ghost story.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–17, Chapters 18–24
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. muddle
    mix up or confuse
    How long had they been driving? She had gotten muddled while reading.
  2. discontent
    make dissatisfied
    The noise in the bus was rising: a discontented, phoneless howl.
  3. altimeter
    an instrument that measures the height above ground
    Ollie’s watch was also a compass and an altimeter.
  4. jolt
    a sudden jarring impact
    The word gave Ollie a strange, sharp jolt.
  5. deliberately
    with intention; in an intentional manner
    Deliberately she took a step across the yellow line in the front of the bus. You weren’t supposed to cross that line, but the bus driver didn’t even turn his head.
  6. rational
    consistent with or based on or using reason
    “If we go into the woods,” she said, trying to make the decision more rational than it was, “we can angle back toward the farm. There’s probably a shortcut in there. We’ll be back before we know it.”
  7. waver
    move in a rising and falling pattern
    RUN. The word still wavered under the watch’s cracked face.
  8. instinctive
    unthinking
    Ollie shrank instinctively into the shadow of the trees.
  9. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    "I hope we get in trouble,” said Ollie grimly. “I really hope so. Because then that would mean I’m wrong.”
  10. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    There was no proper sunset, just a slow, inevitable darkness.
  11. protruding
    extending out above or beyond a surface or boundary
    Her watch chimed gently against her wrist. Ollie looked down at it in startled reflex, nearly tripping on a protruding root.
  12. cleft
    a long narrow opening
    She thought of scarecrows with trowel hands, and that thought was enough to send her onto her knees, scrabbling for the cleft between the rocks.
  13. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    Coco hurtled into the cave, bowling Ollie over. Above them, Brian screamed. Coco flipped around at once and scrabbled back to the cave entrance.
  14. hunker down
    crouch or squat into a low position
    It came right up to their tiny cave. All three flinched and hunkered down.
  15. impulse
    a sudden desire
    Brian flinched, but the crazy impulse seemed to pass.
  16. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    Ollie could hear muffled sounds, as though Brian were crying in the dark as well but didn’t want them to know.
  17. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    Ollie’s skin felt clammy; her leg was asleep.
  18. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    “They were kidnapped by scarecrows! We have to help them.” Apparently Coco held no grudges for the gum, or the notebook, or a dozen other things.
  19. farfetched
    highly imaginative but unlikely
    Even to Ollie it sounded far-fetched.
  20. marionette
    a figure operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
    “Robots don’t have strings. That’s marionettes,” said Brian.
  21. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    Coco relented. “I’m hungry too.”
  22. suppress
    put out of one's consciousness
    "My dad baked the bread himself,” said Ollie, trying to suppress a surge of longing.
  23. clearing
    a treeless tract of land in the middle of a wooded area
    The trees ended; they found themselves on the edge of a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a tidy white house.
  24. mirage
    optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects
    Ollie stared like it was a mirage. Of all the things she was expecting in this creepy forest, a cozy cabin was not one of them.
  25. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    After a moment, Coco and Brian sat down, warily, but Ollie stayed standing.
  26. register
    enter into someone's consciousness
    Coco, intent on being angelic, hadn’t really registered the name.
  27. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    The three of them ran, tripping over the threshold.
  28. exposure
    vulnerability to the elements
    “Tetanus,” said Ollie, “will just have to get in line behind dehydration, exposure, starving, and, oh right, kidnapping by evil scarecrows.”
  29. snipe
    attack in speech or writing
    “Don’t call me Tiny,” said Coco. “I’m normal. You’re just—big.”
    Ollie barely heard their sniping.
  30. jut
    extend out or project in space
    There were a lot of scarecrows. They jutted out of the field; they clustered around the house.
Created on Wed Nov 04 13:13:27 EST 2020 (updated Wed Nov 11 16:44:49 EST 2020)

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