"Ed Howdershelt - Mindy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Howdershelt Ed)

Mindy
Copyright 1991-1993 By Ed Howdershelt
ISBN:1585059420
http://abintrapress.tripod.com

A Quick Introduction

I had work-related reasons (an understatement of the situation) to leave Germany for a
while. While we were working on a drug bust that spanned three countries, I was a witness to
a murder. The Turkish "suspect" had escaped arrest, so I was ordered back to the U.S. for
safekeeping. My employers placed me on indefinite standby due to the politics involved, so I
visited family near Dallas, Texas, to wait until I was summoned to testify or work elsewhere.
I had been involved with a group of people who camp out and play in the woods with
homemade armor, swords, and shields back in Germany. When I discovered a similar group in
the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, I was happy to get reinvolved. At one of this group's open events in
Grapevine, Texas, I met a lady named Mindy and her best friend, Diane. We managed to blend
our own events into those already in progress.
Mindy has had much to say and contribute during the writing of this recollection, but Diane
couldn't contribute. She died of cancer in 1997. We miss you, Diane.

Chapter One

A Midsummer Renaissance Event in Texas is a hot and dusty affair, but most everybody
manages to have a good time. It amounts to lots of people trying to dress and act as they
believe people would have in the middle ages and related times. Many of us also use it as an
excuse to get out and party at a campground on a long weekend.
After a few hours of trading techniques with some of the other "knights" at just such an
event, I put down my sword and shield near the tavern booth and started peeling off my
homemade armor as the "tavern wench" filled my mug with "ale" (probably Lone Star beer)
from a concealed tap. By three in the afternoon I'd had enough pummeling and pounding in the
heat. I was off the lists, anyway. These had been personal-challenge matches that could get
you noticed, but weren't worth real brownie points toward rank.
"Need help with the straps?" came a feminine voice from behind me. I noted that she wasn't
using archaic, 'thee & thou' form of English and figured she was taking a break from it all, too.
I turned to see a rather tall blonde in a green dress standing with hands clasped behind her, a
questioning look in her lovely green eyes that were nearly on a level with my own. What I
could see of her arms and shoulders told me she was neither skinny or fat under that heavy,
Elizabethan-style costume.
"No, thank you, MiLady. I used Velcro," I said, yanking two wide straps to let my chest
armor fall off. Damn, it felt good to be rid of the extra weight. I stretched and reached for my
beer. "But I'd be happy to help you with yours. How do you women spend all day in those
outfits in this heat? May I get you something?" I waved at the tavern booth.
"We don't stay in them all day, of course," she said, and nodding at my beer, "One of those
would be nice. Your armor isn't made of steel, is it?"
"Nope. Aluminum. More precisely, old road-signs, personally recycled." I lifted a piece to
show her the underside of what once was a 'one-way' sign, then ordered her a beer.
"Interesting," she said, "What we do in the name of fun, isn't it?" She made a point of
noticing that her bodice needed re-tied and busied herself with performing that task while
awaiting my next comment. As expected, I watched her tie it as I answered her.
"If you mean making armor to wear while performing strenuous combative exercises or