The Hilarious Days

Dear Sophia,

People are forever talking about the monthly days.

Apparently, there is an entire industry dedicated to explaining why women occasionally become emotional.

Books.

Articles.

Podcasts.

Tea.

Chocolate.

Blankets.

There is, however, very little literature about the hilarious days.

Those curious little moments where life quietly abandons all pretence of being logical.

Take yesterday.

One organisation kindly informed you that they could not investigate your complaint until another organisation had finished investigating theirs.

The other organisation explained that they couldn't possibly begin investigating until the first organisation had concluded theirs.

It's rather comforting to know that somewhere in the world two departments are patiently waiting for each other.

Like two gentlemen insisting the other should walk through the door first.

For eternity.

Then came the forms.

You completed a form confirming that you wished to submit another form, which would eventually allow you to request permission to submit supporting documents for the original form.

It's bureaucracy's version of Russian nesting dolls.

Only less entertaining.

The best part?

Every letter begins exactly the same way.

"We understand your situation."

No, darling...

If you understood the situation, you wouldn't be writing another letter.

You'd be fixing it.

Then there are the reference numbers.

By now, you suspect your case has accumulated enough reference numbers to qualify for its own passport.

It could probably travel internationally without you.

Sometimes you wonder whether scams are actually the easy part.

The paperwork afterwards is where they really test your survival skills.

Still...

There is one small problem for everyone involved.

They seem to have forgotten something.

They assumed exhaustion would eventually win.

Unfortunately...

They've never met you.


Love,

Emma

the other part of you that never left


Scammed: The Inside Story of a Perfect Trap explores this space, not as a distant story, but as something that unfolds step by step, often without being noticed until it’s too late.

Because the most dangerous systems are not the ones that look broken.

They are the ones that look perfect.

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