Brave New Worlds

Gilbow served twenty-six years in the Air Force, and has been on dozens of deployments, and has flown more than 2000 hours as a B-52 navigator. He currently makes his living by teaching English at a public high school in Norfolk, Virginia.

Everyone knows that James Bond has a 'license to kill.' As an international spy, he must sometimes fight for his life. But he's a trained government employee, specially selected for Her Majesty's Service. But could you trust just anyone with a license to kill?

What about your neighbor?

Or your boss?

In fact, what if the government gave everybody one free pass to shoot one person, any person, for whatever reason?

That's the premise of our next story. S. L. Gilbow says that the idea for 'Red Card' actually came from a conversation he had with his daughter, Mandy. 'One day after a driver cut me off in heavy traffic, I. Turned to my daughter and said, ‘Everyone should be allowed to shoot one person without going to prison. ' My daughter thought for a second then turned to me and said, ‘Dad, if that were true you would have been dead a long time ago. ''

Mr. Gilbow might have lived to write this story. But in the world he's imagined, not everyone is so lucky.

* * *

Late one April evening, Linda Jackson pulled a revolver from her purse and shot her husband through a large mustard stain in the center of his T-shirt. The official after incident survey concluded that almost all of Merry Valley approved of the shooting. Sixty-four percent of the townspeople even rated her target selection as 'excellent. ' A few, however, criticized her, pointing out that shooting your husband is 'a little too obvious' and 'not very creative. '

Dick Andrews, who had farmed the fertile soil around Merry Valley for over thirty years, believed that Larry Jackson, more than anyone else in town, needed to be killed. 'I never liked him much,' he wrote in the additional comments section of the incident survey. 'He never seemed to have a good word to say about anybody. '

'Excellent use of a bullet,' scrawled Jimmy Blanchard. Born and raised in Merry Valley, he had known Larry for years and had even graduated from high school with him. 'Most overbearing person I've ever met. He deserved what he got. I'm just not sure why it took so long.'

Of course, a few people made waves. Jenny Collins seemed appalled. 'I can hardly believe it,' she wrote. 'We used to be much more discerning about who we killed, and we certainly didn't go around flaunting it the way Linda does. ' Jenny was the old-fashioned kind.

Linda would never have called her actions 'flaunting it. ' Of course she knew what to do after shooting Larry. She had read The Enforcement Handbook from cover to cover six times, poring over it to see if she had missed anything, scrutinizing every nuance. She had even committed some of the more important passages to memory: Call the police immediately after executing an enforcement — Always keep your red card in a safe, dry place — Never reveal to anyone that you have a red card — Be proud; you're performing an important civic duty.

But flaunting it? No, Linda blended in better than anyone in town, rarely talked and never called attention to herself. She spent most of her days at the Merry Valley Public Library, tucked between rows of antique shelves, alone, organizing a modest collection of old books. In the evening she fixed dinner. After Larry had eaten, cleaned up and left the house for 'some time alone,' Linda would lie in bed reading Jane Austen. No, Linda never flaunted anything — never had much to flaunt.

After she shot her husband, Linda returned the revolver to her purse and collapsed onto her oversized couch. She then picked up the telephone, set it in her lap, and tugged at her long, pale bangs — a nervous habit that drove Larry crazy. She had once considered cutting them to make him happy, but Sarah Hall from across the street had commented on how nice they looked. 'they really bring out your eyes,' Sarah had said. 'they make you look as pretty as a princess. '

Linda would never have called herself pretty, but she always looked as nice as she could. Her makeup — tasteful and modest — came straight off of page twenty-seven of the current issue of Truly Beautiful. She applied her eyeliner, mascara, lipstick and blush precisely according to the instructions, copying every detail of the model's face, framing each eye with two delicate, taupe lines. But she realized she could do no better than pass as the model's homely cousin.

Linda let go of her bangs, lifted the receiver and dialed a number from a yellow sticker plastered across the phone; the sticker doubled as an ad for Bob's Pizza Heaven, so she dialed carefully.

'Merry Valley Police Department. '

'I'd like to report an enforcement,' said Linda.

'Linda?'

'Yes,' she replied, trying to recognize the voice.

'This is Officer Hamilton. '

'Oh, thank goodness,' she said, unable to hide her relief. She admired Officer Hamilton. Once, while making his usual patrol through Merry Valley, he had pulled over to help her carry two bags of groceries, heavy with the dead weight of frozen meat and canned vegetables. He was probably just fighting boredom, but she still appreciated the help. You rarely found that kind of service anymore.

`Linda paused, wondered what tone to strike, and settled on matter-of-fact. 'I've just shot someone. The Enforcement Handbook says I'm supposed to call you. '

'That's right,' said Officer Hamilton. 'Chapter three, I think. Who did you shoot?'

'My husband. '

'Is he dead?' he asked.

Linda studied Larry, sensitive to any movement, the slightest twitch. 'He's not moving. ' she said. 'He hasn't moved since I shot him. '

'How many times did you shoot him?'

'Once,' she said.

'I'd recommend you shoot him one more time just to be sure,' said Officer Hamilton.

'No,' said Linda, “I’m sure he's dead enough.' The Enforcement Handbook recommended at least two shots, but the thought of shooting Larry again bothered Linda. the first shot hadn't been easy, in spite of what the handbook said.

'Fine then, but you'll need to come down to the station to fill out the paperwork. '

'Of course,' she said. 'Do I need to call someone to pick him up?' the handbook hadn't mentioned how to remove the body.

'We'll take care of that,' said Officer Hamilton. 'Just come down to the station and don't forget to bring your red card. You do have a red card, don't you?'

'I do,' she said.

'Wonderful,' said Officer Hamilton.

'And I'll bring the revolver,' she said, paraphrasing a portion from chapter two of the handbook.

'And any spare ammunition you didn't use,' said Officer Hamilton. 'We can reissue it with the card. '

Linda hung up, set the phone on the floor, and rose from the couch. She looked at Larry, and the longer she looked at him the more she expected him to move; it seemed so unnatural for him to be so still, so silent — he had always been in motion. Early in their courtship she pictured him as a hummingbird — a large, gawky hummingbird — but lately she saw him as something else — perhaps a mongoose.

'Larry,' she said without taking her eyes off him. She wondered if she should follow Officer Hamilton's advice and shoot him again. But there was no movement, no sound. She thought he looked like he was asleep, but then she remembered the constant rolling and snoring that marked his nights. No second shot would be needed.

Linda felt an urge to wash. She stepped around Larry's body, crossed the living room and passed through the spare bedroom into the bathroom. Linda filled the sink with warm water, adding a delightful mixture of strawberry and watermelon soap. The crimson color had never bothered her before, but now she braced herself as she plunged her hands into the water. She scrubbed her hands for more than minute; it seemed like the right thing to do.

After she dried her hands on a monogrammed towel, Linda went to her bedroom. Larry and Linda referred to it as the 'spare bedroom,' but it was the one room Linda had all to herself, her refuge from Larry when he got wild — even wilder than usual. The room became her sanctuary, and Larry rarely entered it. Not that Linda forbid him to