QUESTION:

Aunt Benita of the Amazon
1
Even at 74, my Aunt Benita is still willing to take risks I would be much too scared to take. She went bungee jumping off a cliff on her 70th birthday. When she came to visit last Tuesday, I decided to go ahead and ask the question I’d wanted to ask her for a long time.
2
“Aunt Benita’?” I said, while we ate sandwiches in the kitchen. “Tell me how you got that scar. Please?’ Aunt Benita had a long, jagged scar on her left arm. When I was really little, she told me she bought it from a nice man selling scars door-to-door. But I know better now. I wanted to hear the real story.
3
My Aunt looked at me with concern. “You sure, honey? This story isn’t for the faint of heart.”
4
I scowled at her. "I can handle it, promise. Tell me please?"
5
“Okay, then hang onto your hat, kiddo.”

6
“You know, when I was 23, I canoed the entire length of the Amazon River. One night, it was raining cats and dogs and my partner and I were out in the middle of the vast, rushing river. I loved it! But we had to paddle our canoes to the right bank to get out of the gales of wind that threatened to knock us over. The rain was pouring down so hard, we couldn’t see two feet in front of our faces. We canoed into a swampy area and right into a den of crocodiles. All of a sudden, three or four crocodiles started ramming into the side of my canoe. And then one of them..” Aunt Benita stared off into the distance, remembering. “I learned that you have to have courage, or your fears will get the best of you. I kept my head in that situation, and I’m here to tell about it, aren’t I?”
7
“Aunt Benitaf” I exclaimed, “Tell me what happenedf”
8
“Well,” said my Aunt, “I was scrambling out of the canoe right as the mighty jaws of a crocodile chomped the rear of the boat. I reached up and, incredibly enough, my hands caught a branch. I grabbed onto it and pulled myself out with seconds to spare. My partner had the same thought, so we both were able to escape by climbing up the tree. The canoes were shattered, and our supplies were destroyed. Thankfully, the support team came in a few hours.”
9
“And the scar?” I asked.
10
Aunt Benita took a big bite out of her sandwich and smiled a shrewd smile as she chewed. She swallowed and said, “Well, my dear, let’s just say, one of those poor crocs got a little taste of just how delicious your auntie would have been. for lunch.”