The Project Gutenberg EBook of High Dragon Bump, by Don Thompson

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: High Dragon Bump

Author: Don Thompson

Illustrator: Paul Orban

Release Date: October 25, 2009 [EBook #30330]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HIGH DRAGON BUMP ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration: _Illustrated by Paul Orban_]

High Dragon Bump

BY DON THOMPSON

_If it took reduction or torch
hair, the Cirissins wanted a
bump. Hokum, thistle, gluck._

A young and very beautiful girl with golden blond hair and smooth skin
the color of creamed sweet potatoes floated in the middle of the
windowless metal room into which Wayne Brighton drifted. The girl was
not exactly naked, but her few filmy clothes concealed nothing.

Wayne cleared his throat, his apprehension changing rapidly to
confusion.

"_You_ are going to _reduce_ me?" he asked.

"The word is seduce, mister," the girl said. "They told me reduce, too,
but they don't talk real good, and I think I'm supposed to seduce you so
you'll tell 'em something, and then they'll let me go. I guess. I hope.
What is it they wantcha to tell 'em?"

Wayne cleared his throat again, striving merely to keep a firm grip on
his sanity. Things had been happening much too fast for him to have
retained anything like his customary composure.

He said, "Well, they want me to get them a, uh--well, a high dragon
bump." He pronounced the words carefully.

"So why dontcha?" the girl asked.

Wayne's voice rose. "I don't even know what it is. I told them and
they don't believe me. Now you're here! I suppose if I can't be
reduced--seduced--into getting them one, it will wind up with torch
hair. Believe me, I never heard of a high dragon bump."

"Now, don't get panicky!" the girl pleaded. "After all, I'm scared too."

"I am not scared!" Wayne replied indignantly. But he realized that he
was.

So far, in the hour or so he'd been a captive of the Cirissins, he'd
managed to keep his fright pretty well subdued. He'd understood almost
at once what had happened, and his first