"And if you'll take a look to your left here," said Mr. Hennigan, pointing to the right side of his boat, "you will see the local domicile of the biggest gator around these parts."
The tourists leaned in closely, peering over the side of the boat and scanning the water for movement. The swamp seemed unusually still, however, the only thing moving aside from their vessel was a single turtle sunning himself upon a log.
"The big gal' might be in the water or basking on the dock," Mr. Hennigan explained, gesturing to a thick wooden platform jutting from the swampy water, the construction of the entire thing made to be incredibly robust considering its purpose. "Big mama gator should be baskin but she may be out huntin' at this hour. Biggest one I've seen since I came here almost fifteen years ago," he added with pride, glancing at the three teenagers sitting next to him. "You guys wanna catch a glimpse? Cuz you'll never have another chance like this one."
The motorboat was coasting along under the force of its residual momentum, the motor humming idly as it was currently set in neutral. It got within about fifteen feet of the wooden platform before Mr. Hennigan began speaking again.
"Don't worry, we won't go near far enough to scare her off," he reassured them with an encouraging smile and chuckle. "If she goes anywhere, she's probably gonna head for the water, also remember to keep your hands and limbs in the boat at all times, cause her babies are likely nearby, too."
The teenagers nodded obediently, the tallest among them raising his hand high up into the air. He looked scared to death, which made sense given that the other two were girls. His girlfriend and her friend had remained quiet throughout the ride, looking nervous as well. "Uh... if it's a female how could it be the biggest?, usually the males are the biggest of the species?" he asked nervously, squinting at the structure.
Mr. Hennigan chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Well, you would be correct, but you see this here gator ain't no normal American Alligator, kid. No sir, she's special as special can be. This here gator's name is Cleo, and she's practically legendary in these parts," the tour guide continued, nodding with satisfaction before addressing the tall boy with the thick framed glasses again, "Now boy since you seem to know so much about gators tell me how big does the average gator here in Florida get?"
The teen's a little embarrassed as the entire tour now looks at him but quickly composes himself and pushes his glasses back up into place, "Well I do know that they average between eleven and fifteen feet in length, and that's for the males the females tend to be smaller, on average only 8 to 10 feet from snout to tail, though some can grow even bigger, up to nineteen feet long in rare cases.", he answers confidently before pausing a moment to consider what he just said, "Wait I mean I'm sure some of those giant ones are male too I suppose..."
"Correct son," Mr. Hennigan smiled approvingly, patting him on the shoulder. "But as I mentioned earlier, this gator ain't like most others. If I am correct, then she's close to eighteen feet, maybe even twenty, from tip to tail."
Murmurs of astonishment and disbelief resonate among the tourists, and the tall lanky boy with the glasses gasps in surprise at the tour guides words. "Really!? But why is she so big? What makes her so different from ordinary gators?", he asks curiously.
"It's a combination of things really," explains Mr. Hennigan as he pats the teenager on the shoulder again. "First off she's been here in this very spot for fourteen years now, so she's got plenty of time to bulk up on the critters living in the local waters and swamp environment. Second, as I said she's special in many ways, but it's easier to see for oneself than to explain it. So let us pay our respects to her majesty first shall we?"
He reaches behind him and turns the motor off, the passive hum of the previously idling engine coming to a stop. The tour boat floats slowly, its forward momentum diminishing until it comes to a near stop in the wide open clearing in the bayou.
Hearing the sudden silence the teens exchange glances with each other nervously, wondering what they should do now. After a brief pause the taller girl pipes up, "What do we do?"
"Keep quiet," Mr. Hennigan replies flatly, turning towards the group of tourists who are listening "She knows we are here and now that the motor is off she usually comes out and shows herself, big lady likes attention, and when she feels like showing herself she has a habit of appearing suddenly and startling people."
The passengers listen carefully, holding their breaths as they wait for any sign of activity. Nothing happens for several minutes, save for the rustle of a few leaves being disturbed by a gentle breeze.
"There she is... sneaky girl..." Mr. Hennigan says quietly, pointing to a few water plants being disturbed by something big moving beneath them in the water, "she's coming right this way."
His voice is low and calm as he speaks, yet somehow manages to send chills down the spines of the tourists seated alongside him. A few seconds later, the blackish snout and a pair of eyes poke from the swampy water, their size giving away a hint at just how massive the rest of the beast lurking beneath the surface truly is.
Slowly, the gator's head and snout breaks the water surface fully, the top of its flat head cresting the glass-like smoothness. Its eyes stare directly at the tourists, yellow and unblinking, and then it opens its mouth widely, revealing rows of jagged sharp teeth that gleam menacingly in the sunlight. And with a snap the great beast clamps its jaw shut, the air pops as the muscles tighten around her jaws and lock her teeth together.
A chorus of ohh's and ahh's emanates from the tourists, echoing across the swampy bayou, and the group begins whispering excitedly amongst themselves.
"Alright folks before you take any pictures, make sure to turn of your cameras' flash," Mr. Hennigan instructs. "She doesn't like the sudden lights."
The tourists follow his instructions, pulling out their phones and cameras, diligently following the instructions and turning off the flashes. The big gator swims closer to the boat and Mr. Hennigan points out her features as she draws nearer, "Notice how heavy her build is compared to other alligators, yes even the males. She's pretty curious right now, and is probably gonna circle us a few times inspecting us before deciding whether to approach or not."
The tourists watch with interest as the gator circles their boat once, twice, three times before disappearing below the murky surface again. When it resurfaces again a couple of minutes later, the giant animal approaches with slow deliberation, her movements graceful and powerful a few of the more nervous tourists voice their concerns that the animal is in fact almost half the size of the tour boat and if they are actually safe in it. 
"It's perfectly safe," Mr. Hennigan assures them quietly, "as I mentioned earlier she's used to boats passing by her, she knows humans are harmless creatures. Just give her a lot of space, don't get too close if you want to avoid scaring her off, and absolutely do NOT lean over the railing to try and touch her. Cause she might pull you out and underwater with her," he warns sternly. "Cleo loves people, but she's a gentle soul so do not tease her."
With that pronouncement the great beast swims past the edge of the boat, keeping her distance for several moments more before finally stopping beside its hull. She stares silently at the tourists, her eyes taking in every detail of the human beings occupying that strange metal box floating in the water. They were so oddly expressive for such a beast, filled to capacity with emotions they couldn't begin to fathom, yet intrigued nonetheless.
The great reptilian head tilts slightly at the angle of curiosity as the tourists watch and take pictures and filming her, the great beast then seems to focus on the tour guide, slitted eyes widening in recognition, and the tourists notice that the gator has a mind of its own. It isn't simply observing the humans around it, rather the creature is analyzing its surroundings as well as its new audience. Its thoughts move swiftly, calculating and assessing.
As the gator continues staring Mr. Hennigan begins talking to her softly, his voice becoming softer as well. He moves the microphone close to his lips and speaks in hushed tones; "Hello beautiful Cleo, how have ya been? We're glad you could join us today. Is everything alright?"
The gator listens attentively, her eyes shifting over to his voice. Slowly she moves that massive broad head of hers face him, and lets out a deep breath from her nostrils, making a sound that sounds like a mix between a below being compressed and air rushing out of it and a bucket of gravel getting jostled about.
Mr. Hennigan chuckles, pleased with the response, "Good to see you too girl," the big alligator moves slightly closer to the boat softly nudging it with that broad snout, the wood creaking under her weight. Her massive body presses against the side and the boat rocks gently, causing everyone to look worriedly at the guide. "Nothing to worry about people, she's just curious about the boat. Don't be alarmed by her size, she's no threat, Cleo here weighs in at about a ton," as the guide says this the alligator pushes the boat a little more forcefully, almost as if it didn't like that comment about it's weight.
"Oh, com'on girl you know I didn't mean it like that!" Mr. Hennigan laughs, watching the gator push the boat around a bit. "You're a big girl, stop acting so prissy about it."
The gator growls loudly, and ceases rocking the boat, letting it settle back on the calm water. Mr. Hennigan nods to himself, satisfied with the reaction, "That's better Cleo, now relax and enjoy yourself."
The gator continues to stare at Mr. Hennigan, the thick lenses of her huge yellow eye sockets, there's a glint of mischievousness flashing across those big reptilian eyes. Mr. Hennigan smiles reassuringly, "Don't bother trying to scare the tourists Cleo; they wouldn't believe you anyway."
The alligator lets out a deep series of rumbles, that one could almost mistake for laughing. The corners of that expressionless snout ever so slightly turning upwards in amusement, and the tourists watch in amazement at the display, the tall lanky teen speaking up again, excitement evident in his voice: "I've never heard of an alligator reacting that way! This is amazing! Look at her go! Isn't this fun!?", he finishes with youthful excitement overflowing from his voice, which seems to draw attention from the big gator itself.
"Yes it is quite fun indeed," Mr. Hennigan agrees, smiling at the boy, "but please remember to remain respectful while you are aboard this vessel. Do not reach over the railings, and keep a good distance from Cleo. Cause if you keep giving her attention like that she might take a liking to you."
The gator stares silently at him, her gaze softening slightly. Mr. Hennigan notices this, and frowns a little, the old girl is up to something, he thinks to himself. There was something odd about her behavior earlier, something he'd missed. As the gator continues to stare at teen, her gaze steady and unwavering, Mr. Hennigan puts two and two together. In spite of himself, some small portion of him can't help but feel a sense of unease.
Suddenly the gator breaks her stare, her eyes darting around the bayou for a moment, and then settling its gaze on the floating platform that is used for basking in the sun. She picks up speed, swimming straight towards it, the visitors gasp in shock. Mr. Hennigan looks concerned as well, but in contrast to the others he seems more relaxed, "Cleo, hey girl, don't do that," he mutters under his breath, "God damnit girl.. now I have to do the whole legal disclaimer shit.." But Mr. Hennigan soon catches himself and pulls himself together, telling the crowd calmly, "Look everybody, Cleo just wants to show of a little now, which brings me to remind you of the legal disclaimer everyone here signed up for before you boarded the tour boat.", he sighs and steels himself for reciting the more delicate paragraph of the disclaimer, "I am reminding you that Cleo, is not a normal alligator again, and some of you may find her appearance to be... disturbing when she gets out of the water."
The tourists look quite puzzled at that statement, especially since they had watched the gator swim right up to the boat without hesitation. But now they hear that last line and start looking around the boat nervously. Several of them raise their hands timidly.
Mr. Hennigan takes a deep breath and begins reading the legal disclaimer aloud slowly, "I'm going to repeat what I said earlier because we need to emphasize it clearly," he looks at the gator and continues speaking, "you will be watching Cleo emerge from the water onto this platform, Cleo, is as I have already said not a normal alligator, she has features that some of you may find disturbing or inappropriate to look at. So please bear in mind that I cannot guarantee that none of you will experience discomfort during this process. You are free to avert your eyes and look at something else for the duration of the time the gator remains on land. However," he pauses dramatically, gazing up into the sky, "I cannot promise that seeing the gator won't cause some of you emotional distress, or trauma, which the company will not be liable for as you have all sign the legal disclaimer," he turns around to the three teens and addresses them directly, especially the taller lanky boy with the apparent interest in alligators, "Okay kids, remember you signed up for the trip knowing that you would possibly encounter, now all three of you are of legal age so this isn't that big of a deal, just a word of advice... don't stare at her for to long, she might get... ideas.", he finishes as he takes a glance back at the big gator, which is only a few feet away from the platform now.
Mr. Hennigan raises the microphone to his mouth and begins to read the warning again, "For your own safety, if you find yourself feeling uncomfortable while watching Cleo emerge from the water, please refrain from looking, and instead look somewhere else," he glances at the gator whose presence is now hovering near the edge of the platform, "please note that although you still have the option to look elsewhere if you wish, I cannot promise that seeing her will not cause you psychological damage... so please exercise caution."
There's a collective gasp from the crowd as the gator grasps the edge of the platform, with its arms. Arms, actually articulate arms capable of complex movements, like a humans. The tourists turn to each other, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. Mr. Hennigan can tell that many of them are beginning to feel a strong sensation akin to fear and unease at the sight of the gator, and he sighs knowing full well what Cleo's gonna do now. He's seen this before. He feels a slight sense of foreboding himself as the huge reptile starts to lift itself out of the water, the blackish back scales glistening in the sunshine as the larger part of her body breaks the surface. 
"Uh... why does that alligator... have arms like a person...?" one tourist asks nervously.
Mr. Hennigan looks at the young man and responds, "Well, before the tour we did tell you that Cleo is infact not only special, but actually saptient, yes?"
At this the gator makes another deep rumbling noise, and pulls itself just a little more out of the water, revealing the cream colored underside of its body, and two bulbous protrusions start to emerge from the brackish water, "Are those... breasts?", one woman exclaims in awe. "Yes, they are," Mr. Hennigan responds curtly, "Cleo is an anthropomorphic alligator, and she does have quite a few mammalian characteristics despite being a reptile."
The gator rotates its shoulders, lifting itself completely out of the water, exposing a wide flaring hips and a slightly pudgy midsection, meanwhile the tourists just stare in disbelief at the unfolding scene, none of them had actually believed the waiver they had signed, after all anthropomorphic animals?, that's something out of fiction after all right? No such thing exists in reality, except maybe in Disney movies perhaps..
Yet here they were, watching the massive beast rise the rest of itself out of the bayous water, bits and pieces of plant matter clinging to the thick plate like scales on the blackish scales of its back, its legs lifting high behind it, and rising higher until it finally stands upon wooden boards. That massive tail is partially submerged in the water as it sprouts from the back of it. There is silence in the bayou, as everyone is still trying to process just what they are seeing. It certainly doesn't seem real.
Cleo meanwhile just takes up a pose on the platform, idly picking off detritus from her scaley hide with her stubby claws. She is utterly unperturbed by the presence of the spectators, simply standing there contemplating them like a curious cat staring down a mouse. Before huffing in approval of her appearance, having cleansed herself sufficiently of the various water plants that had clung to her as she had emerged and flops down on her belly, facing the tour boat and letting out a rumbling noise, that by now was understood as a laugh.