She knew why she had killed him, but was it necessary to kill him, that was the question.
She was sitting on High Top which was close to High Cliff. That had a great view of the flat lands to the south of Bigtown. High Top was the biggest of a big circle of hills to the west of Bigtown. The view was great here too, she came here often to have a big think.
She remembered boxing. As a kid she wanted to know what happened above the Load of Hay. One day she marched through the pub to the boxing gym on the floor above. No one wanted a little girl in the gym – men only. But she knew what she wanted and what she wanted, she got. She liked the way the boxers danced around the ring – she could dance too.
She joined the boxing club with the yearly intake of young boys – no one wanted her to join – no one could stop her. She learnt fast, faster than the boys – no one could hit her, she was so fast on her feet – no one could avoid her punches, they hurt.
No one wanted to fight her, though she pulled her punches, she didn't want to hurt no one. She helped the boys, she guided them through the exercises; that no one wanted to fight her did not trouble her.
The trainer came back from lunch, maybe he'd had one too many, he was angry, angry because she pulled her punches. He knew what she could do, she was the only one to win against the punch bag, she had smashed it across the room against the wall and had ruined it. No one had done that before.
He started a fight with her, he could not hit her, she always danced away. She jumped up and thumped him. Over went the trainer, KO. She had pulled that punch too, she didn't want to kill him. She signalled to one of the helpers to unlace her gloves for the last time.
She joined the wrestling club, she liked picking up people and throwing them around.
She joined the karate club, she liked punching holes in brick walls.
She joined the judo club, she liked picking up people and throwing them around.
She joined the bare knuckle boxing club, she liked hitting people with her hands and feet.
It was all great fun, but no one wanted to fight with her, she knew that she could kill. What use was that?
It happened, the man was waiting for her in the toilets, he wanted to put his hand into her knickers and harm her, he was nasty and evil, he made her feel sick inside, he was the mayor. She punched a fist-shaped hole in his forehead, EOM, she washed her hands.
She killed many nasty and evil men, all men, mostly politicians.
She liked it.
She sat on the hillside and pondered. She had not killed anybody in years. Why was that? There were still nasty and evil men on the planet, but not in Bigtown.
She could sense that he was coming towards her, a nasty and evil man in Bigtown? He sat down beside her and talked to her. She heard no words, as usual, but she knew what he wanted to do to her. She looked into his mind and his thoughts – he was not a strong man, but had something in his coat pocket...
She quickly grabbed the thing in his pocket and held it high. She emptied the revolver in the sky – the shots rang round the hills.
She took the gun in both hands and folded it in half and gave the useless lump of metal back to him. He saw the black triangular brooch that she was wearing, he decided to go, to leave her, to leave Bigtown, perhaps to leave the country.
He stood, said something meaningless and walked away.
She laughed silently.