An after dark tale

Warning: to be read in a dramatic story tale tone - in the style of "the Lord of the Rings"

Once there was, once there wasn’t….a great old story tells of the djins that roam the streets at night, as the last ray of sunshine dims behind the horizon and the muezzin calls for Maghreb prayers, creatures unseen by human eyes rise to roam the earth, some look for sinners, some for the pious, and some observe, peeking into our hearts to see what lies within; our loves, our thoughts, our desires, our dreams and dark secrets but some of these djins seek to harm us, to drag us into sin and into harms path.

And so this story was told, from mother to daughter to granddaughter, women of the house do not go outside after dark dear, for who knows what lies in the darkness and in the dead of the night, Ins or Djin (1), friend or foe, and so from mother to daughter to granddaughter, women across the land of ElDjazair (2) grew fearful of the dark and became house bound after sunset.

Years and years later, a man came into the house “women are to stay indoors” he said, he professed gods commandment, Allah ordered men to be mindful of the women on this earth, for women are defenceless creatures, weak of body and mind; so from father to son to grandson, men forbad their wives, sisters and daughters from leaving the house for fear of the unknown and to protect the family, the clan and with it the kingdoms honour.  Women grew tired of these invisible shackles but could not break the mighty rule, for all the men of the kingdom would gather against any women who dares break the rules and venture out at night, she who dared was branded a women of the night and would remain unmarried and cast out of society.

But as women started to break the rules, and winter approached, as the daylight diminished and the nights grew longer, evil spread throughout the Kingdom, an evil seen by no one but men, heard of any old tales transmitted from mother to daughter to granddaughter, for who knows what evil lies in the dark.

Hundreds of years had passed, came the era of the fanaticism, man grew beards, they died with henna,  wore kamisses(3), women and girls wore veils and a new Islam spread like a new age religion, The masters of the land did not take kindly to this new power spreading across their kingdom; they called it terrorism; it spread across the lands and ignited the beacons of war, a civil war erupted, tearing this beautiful land apart, the Masters of the land fought a long and bloody battle to end the horrific curse that was upon them, this was at the great sorcerers’ hand, they called him Israel. A curfew was imposed on the kingdom, and father to daughter to son to granddaughter, were not to step outside after dark, for who knows who lies in the dark; militia or terrorist, djin or inns? Friend or foe?

Years have passed and the war has ended, the masters of the land regained control of their kingdom, people were content to resume their lives, peace was once again and the kingdoms dwellers ventured out into the open once more, walking and working the fields, swimming the warm lakes of this beautiful land, but upon the last ray of sunshine in the sky, the streets were barren again, the fields deserted, shops were shut and the lights dimmed, but a movement was rising within the kingdom, people started to brave the darkness and marvel the starry night skies, others were too afraid to break their ancestral traditions and went indoors in time with the chickens,  gathered around the fires telling the tale of the djins that roam the streets at night but  what lies in the dark but men himself.

The end.
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(1) Human or genie

(2) Algeria
(3) Kamiss –A traditional Islamic dress men traditionally wear to mosque or in religious days