Expanse
"Magnet gestured with his arms to the great EXPANSE around them. 'Pick a hole, any hole,' he said. Stanley staggered across the lake, almost..."
an area of something, typically land or sea, presenting a wide continuous surface.
Lukewarm
"For breakfast they'd been served some kind of LUKEWARM cereal."
(of liquid or food that should be hot) only moderately warm; tepid
Character
"You're not looking for anything. You're digging to build CHARACTER."
the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
the quality of being individual in an interesting or unusual way.
Sow
"It just so happens, my SOW gave birth to a litter of piglets yesterday, she said."
an adult female pig
Preposterous
"'Why not let Myra decide?' suggested Elya. 'That's PREPOSTEROUS!' exclaimed Igor, expelling saliva as he spoke. 'Myra is just an empty headed girl,' said he father. 'How can she possibly decide..."
contrary to reason or common sense; utterly absurd or ridiculous.
Descendants
"...if he failed to do this, he and his DESCENDANTS would be doomed for all of eternity."
be a direct blood relative of (a specified, typically illustrious ancestor)
Aimlessly
"After leaving Myra's house, Elya wandered AIMLESSLY through the town..."
without purpose or direction.
Deftly
"He popped some sunflower seeds into his mouth, DEFTLY removed the shells with his teeth, and spat them into Stanley's hole."
in a way that is neatly skillful and quick in movement.
Excavated
"...when the dirt hit the ground, it was compacted. It expanded when it was EXCAVATED. The piles were a lot bigger than his hole was deep."
make (a hole or channel) by digging.
Pride
"felt a strange sense of PRIDE at being able to show Mr. Sir, or Mr. Pendanski, that he had dug his first hole.
a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements
Defective
"The force stung his hands but made no impression on the earth. He wondered if he had a DEFECTIVE shovel."
imperfect or faulty.
Wasteland
"He saw a cloud of dust moving across the WASTELAND and noticed that the other boys... The dirt cloud moved closer, and he could see that it trailed behind a red pickup truck."
an unused area of land that has become barren or overgrown
Summoned
"He SUMMONED his daughter. Elya blushed when Myra entered the room."
authoritatively or urgently call on (someone) to be present, especially as a defendant or witness in a law court.
call people to attend (a meeting).
Eternity
"He was just a fifteen-year-old kid, and 'ETERNITY' didn't seem much longer than a week from Tuesday."
infinite or unending time.
Dawdle
"He couldn't afford to DAWDLE. He was way behind the others..."
waste time; be slow.
Alas
"ALAS, poor Elya should have carried the pig up the mountain one last time. The two pigs weighed exactly the same."
an expression of grief, pity, or concern
Unearthed
"He UNEARTHED several shovelfuls of dirt in this manner, before it occurred to him that he was dumping the dirt within the perimeter of his hole."
find (something) in the ground by digging.
discover (something hidden, lost, or kept secret) by investigation or searching.
Helplessly
"He glanced HELPLESSLY at his shovel. It wasn't defective. He was defective."
with no ability to act or help oneself. in an uncontrollable manner.
Staggered
"Stanley STAGGERED across the lake, almost falling over a dirt pile."
walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.
Reluctantly
"It was either now or later. RELUCTANTLY, he climbed up out of his hole, and once again dug his shovel into his previously dug dirt."
in an unwilling and hesitant way.
Enviously
"Zero was the smallest kid in group D, but he was the first one to finish digging. 'You're finished?' Stanley asked ENVIOUSLY."
feeling or showing envy. desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else).
Grimaced
"He GRIMACED as he sliced off a chunk of dirt, then raised it up and flung it onto a pile."
an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement.
Forlorn
"Madame Zeroni hated to see Elya so FORLORN. Against her better judgment, she agreed to help him."
pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely.
Gestured
"Magnet GESTURED with his arms to the great expanse around them."
direct or invite (someone) to move somewhere specified.
Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.