Ali and the Forty Butterflies

Ali Banton has a beautiful wife, a curious joy of a young son, and a grand total of ten dollars in his pocket. Wanting nothing but the best for his family, he and his wife decide to move to Chicago where Ali's brother, Cassim, runs a restaurant that Ali can work at until things get a little better.

But his brother's restaurant stands just inside the territory of a certain gang known for its ruthlessness, and when Cassim gets involved after one fatal misstep on Ali's part, things get dangerous quickly, leaving Ali wondering about what life in the city really is when you live on the edge of insanity.

A twist on the classic story, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, written for the Once Upon Now contest.