Algeria: The Crow

A tale of modern intervention, vigilance, and urban prayers.

An exotic vigilante-fable, inspired loosely by the iconic/offbeat Crow (James O'Barr). Thanks for reading, 

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Algeria had been a politically challenged area in the modern world, because of French colonial rule defied by the resistant FLN, an Islamic underground group, creating a post-independence 'legacy' on the capital city of Algiers!

New kinds of pirates/warlords had now descended upon hot Algiers, with blood-diamond traffic from African 'conflict-zones' becoming a new underworld commerce issue/concern. A fierce pirate-profiteer named Ra's allied himself to a powerful Algerian blood-diamond baron named Raphael.

Meanwhile, various skirmishes on the streets of Algiers and public protests reflected a growing political complication created by economics-corruption dissatisfaction, perhaps a 'youth-shadow' created by the blood-diamond piracy issue/concern!

Now, this powerful diamond-baron Raphael, now allied to the potent pirate-warlord investor Ra's, was creating a certain 'shadow' in Algiers. This 'shadowland' of Algeria was considered a great spot for advanced journalism but became a lousy place to live, and Raphael was growing 'fatter' because of Ra's.

A huge cocaine seizure on the borderlands of Algeria drew in news-stories about cocaine-traffic/abuse in hot Algiers. Narcotics was suddenly the new 'color' of complication(s) in once politically-hot Algeria, and youth were displaced by an emerged culture of abuse/crime/police.

JOURNALIST: It's our modern 'estimation' that the best 'ray of light' in modern Algiers is the pool of young students/children.

Shami was the guardian of an orphan-girl named Ezzy in narcotics-troubled Algiers (Algeria) and wanted her to be provided for and given the 'free chance' to attend a safe/sanitary public school for her rightful education and social life in Algeria. Shami considered Ezzy her 'treasure' and prayed someone would help the poor people of Algeria and perhaps rid hot Algiers of the nasty issue/concern of diamond-piracy and drugs. Shami was praying and praying for a hero, or a 'crow' for the city. Would her prayers be answered finally?

SHAMI: I've made a painting of Ezzy for our front doorway, for people to walk by and perhaps get courage to help us all!

A hero truly did emerge! A young Algerian-American journalist/reporter named Amlan Satan (code-name: Storm-Shadow) had been covering the underworld news-story/topic of the wandering pirate-warlord (Ra's) perhaps landing in hot Algiers to forge a new 'dominion' alongside the blood-diamond baron Raphael. After some months of reporting on the state of underworld piracy and drug-trafficking and Algerian depression and youth-displacement, Storm-Shadow (Amlan Satan) became truly disillusioned/jaded by all this 'form' of modern darkness and decided to 'kick up' his level of active participation and perhaps become an activist!

STORM-SHADOW (Amlan Satan): I'll become the vigilante 'Crow' and steal Raphael's blood-diamonds using a toy acid-rifle!

Storm-Shadow marched into the Algiers bank in costume/mask/gear and wielded a toy water-rifle and explained to the attending bank manager that day that he'd been 'sent' by the diamond-baron/investor Raphael to procure special street-theater 'media-photos' of the bank's vault-room safe-box area where the baron stored his infamous gem(s) and create an Interpol-relations Algiers news-reel, and so, the humbled manager had Storm-Shadow (Amlan Satan) escorted to the safe-box area by the single-guardsman (Leo) that day inside the fine bank.

Once inside the vault-room, Storm-Shadow revealed (to Leo) that his toy theater-prop water-rifle was inserted with a thin glass tube containing hot acid (HCL) which he intended to use to burn a hole into Baron Raphael's Algiers bank vault safe-box and switch his rumored 'conflict-zone' blood-diamonds with toy gems hidden in his hat and create an Interpol-relations media-stir which'd be 'prepaid' for by the inspectors working on this 'street-piracy' gossip work.

BANK GUARDSMAN (Leo): We honestly didn't anticipate anything 'unordinary' and didn't think an Interpol-monitor was worked!

Storm-Shadow (Amlan Satan) swapped Raphael's blood-diamonds with toys and darted to the Algiers subway-train to exchange the gem-assets at an Interpol-relations station ($20M)!

INTERPOL: Blood-diamond corruption today threatens the world diamond-exchange and makes terrorism woe(s)!

STORM-SHADOW: The people of Algiers are 'liberated' from the cold drug-hand(s) of Raphael-Ra's with this gem-dance!

Storm-Shadow took his new friends in Algiers (Algeria), Shami and Ezzy, to a wonderful bistro-meal in the troubled city and promised them new 'frontiers' of active social vigilance created by new Interpol-relations would bring the city the daylight and comfort food(s) is prayed for, and that the work of the 'Crow' had been spiced!

SHAMI: This is the prayer we needed, and my prayers for Ezzy have been answered, and Algiers has real vision of life now.

JOURNALIST: Is this the 'daybreak' into the underworld of gem-traffic and drug-hands that Algeria sought after independence?

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"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)