Crunch Read Online Free PDF

the gates of the orphanage.
    Bethany looked around the large paved play area surrounded by a block wall. A bent basketball hoop minus the net hung from the wall.
    A busy kitchen area opened up to a dining room with murals on the walls. The murals showed children doing various activities with words written in Spanish underneath—words that Bethany—with her one semester of instruction in the language—could not make out.
    Off the dining room was a small living room containing several well-used sofas and a stained rug over a tiled floor.
    The place was tidy and clean, yet it had the feel of a well-used building. Nicks, scratches, and chipped paint were everywhere.
    Maggie introduced the team to the directors of the orphanage, Eva and Manuel Ruiz. Then the directors showed them where to set up for their sharing time.
    A large TV was brought in for Bethany. She hooked her video iPod into the back and gave it a test run.
    Bethany couldn’t help feeling her spirits lift as the room soon filled with excited, smiling children.
    Maggie located a globe and used it to show the children where the visitors had come from.
    Hands shot in the air, and Maggie translated back the questions to the group.
    â€œHow did you get here?”
    â€œWe flew.” Bethany laughed at their confused expressions. “On an airplane!”
    The boys giggled.
    â€œHow long did it take?”
    â€œA little over five hours,” Holly answered.
    â€œWhat is it like where you live?”
    Several teens on the team attempted to explain about a land of green where palm trees dot the beach and where turtles and whales roam the shoreline.
    Then Kai was up. He explained that the ukulele was a traditional Hawaiian instrument. Malia jumped in next to describe the hula and to show how the movement of hands, feet, and body were like beautiful sign language.
    Kai promptly began plinking away at a song while Monica, Holly, Jenna, and the rest of the girls danced a hula for the wide-eyed little boys.
    A bit self-conscious at first, the girls quickly shook it off and performed as smoothly and beautifully as they were used to at home. When they were done, the children clapped wildly.
    Maggie then introduced Bethany and explained that she was a competitive surfer who had overcome a life-threatening event.
    Bethany felt uneasy speaking through an interpreter, so she tried to keep her sentences short and to the point.
    â€œWhat would you like to hear most about surfing?”
    â€œDid it hurt when you were bit by the shark?” a little boy asked in Spanish, and Maggie smiled apologetically.
    â€œIt’s okay,” Bethany said as she nodded. She’d learned enough about human nature to know that, for these little boys, hearing about surfing would only be interesting once their curiosity about the shark attack was satisfied.
    â€œSo…, “ she said, looking down at the eager faces. “Let me tell you about the day I lost my arm.”
    The children quieted down quickly as Maggie interpreted.
    â€œI started surfing when I was about your age,” Bethany continued. “I loved it from the moment I started.” She smiled. “My family taught me that there were dangerous things in the water, and that it was possible to get hurt—or even killed. In fact, we knew people who had been attacked by sharks. But like most people, I never thought that it would happen to me.”
    The children were as silent as stones, their eyes drifting to the empty, knotted sleeve of her shirt as she talked.
    â€œUp to that time, the worst thing that had happened to me while surfing was getting stung by a box jellyfish.” Bethany glanced up and noticed Kai was listening as intently as the orphans.
    â€œWhat is that?” a little boy asked. “What does that feel like?”
    Bethany did her best to explain the painful sting from the bizarre creature made up of 99 percent water. “But they don’t attack you on