Dunc Breaks the Record by Gary Paulsen Read Free Book Online

“Are we in a hospital?”
    Dunc nodded. “Just for observation. Everything is all right. Or will be.”
    “But what about the river, the falls, Milt—all that?”
    “Good, you remember, then—I was worried.You took a crack on your head under water, and I wasn’t sure. The doctors said it would be fine, but you know me.”
    Amos closed his eyes and frowned, working at memory. “Gold—what happened to the gold bar?”
    Dunc almost didn’t have to answer. It was in his eyes. “You dropped it. Or missed it. When Melissa dragged you out of the water, you were holding a can of Spam.”
    “Melissa?” Amos stopped him. “She dragged me out?”
    Dunc nodded. “Both of us. She climbed down next to the falls, and she was the first one to get to us. I was still conscious, but she had to work on you to bring you around.”
    “Work on me? How do you mean?”
    “She did mouth-to-mouth on you.”
    “Melissa?”
    Dunc nodded. “Of course, you didn’t know it because you were unconscious from the head blow. They had a radio and called in a chopper—which wasn’t very far away because they were still looking for us. They rushed us to the hospital—we were here within an hour.”
    “She kissed me?” Amos had stopped listening. “Melissa kissed me?”
    “No. She gave you the breath of life. It’s not the same. And you didn’t know it. You didn’t know anything until just now. The doctor said you have to keep a grip on the real world because of the blow on your head.”
    “Oh, man—I thought it was all a dream. Melissa kissed me, and I missed it!”
    “You’ve got to control this, Amos—she doesn’t even know your name. She just happened to rescue you. You’ve got to concentrate on real things, more positive things.”
    “Like losing the gold?” Amos asked.
    “Well, no.”
    “Like crashing in a hang glider and getting kidnapped and covered with bat poop and nearly drowned and having you talk me out of playing checkers for more gold than there is in the whole world?”
    “Well, not exactly.” Dunc smiled. “I was thinking more of the two world records we set—no, three.”
    Amos was back on his bed, and he sat on the edge and looked at Dunc. “Longest flight for two boys our age.”
    Dunc nodded.
    “What were the other two?”
    “Highest flight for two boys, and …”
    “And what?”
    Dunc looked out the window, then back at Amos. “The only people ever to ride a rubber raft over Doom Falls.”
    “Doom Falls?”
    “That’s the name of the waterfall we went over. We’re the only ones ever to go over Doom Falls and live.”
    Amos sighed and lay back on the bed. “She kissed me.”
    “Not really.” Dunc shook his head. “Think of the records, Amos.”
    “Kissed me …”
    “Amos.”
    “Melissa …”
    “Amos.”

Be sure to join Dunc and Amos in these other Culpepper Adventures:
The Case of the Dirty Bird
    When Dunc Culpepper and his best friend, Amos Binder, first see the parrot in a pet store, they’re not impressed—it’s smelly, scruffy, and missing half its feathers. They’re only slightly impressed when they learn that the parrot speaks four languages, has outlived ten of its owners, and is probably 150 years old. But when the bird starts mouthing off about buried treasure, Dunc and Amos get pretty excited—let the amateur sleuthing begin!
Dunc’s Doll
    Dunc and his accident-prone friend Amos are up to their old sleuthing habits once again. This time they’re after a band of doll thieves! When a doll that once belonged to Charles Dickens’s daughter is stolen from an exhibition at the local mall, the boys put on their detective gear and do some serious snooping. Will a vicious watchdog keep them from retrieving the valuable missing doll?
Culpepper’s Cannon
    Dunc and Amos are researching the Civil War cannon that stands in the town square when they find a note inside telling them about a time portal. Entering it through the dressing room of La Petite, a women’s clothing