The glorious Parthenon Gallery had been designed to mirror the exact dimensions and orientation of the temple itself. Through wall-to-ceiling windows, Charlotte watched the merciless sun beat down on the actual Parthenon. A tour guide spoke loudly in English behind her. “Behold the Parthenon temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena. It is two thousand four hundred and seventyyears young,” he boomed. “The Elgin Marbles were hacksawed off and stolen in the nineteenth century. Their spaces remain, waiting for them to be returned.”
Charlotte pretended she wasn’t eavesdropping.
“We have created blank spaces for the stolen Elgin Marbles to live when they are returned. More and more museums are researching the provenance of their heists.”
The guide walked to a corner and pointed to a red dot on the floor. “This dot,” he exclaimed, “marks the exact spot where an ancient craftsman once dropped a tool while working on the original temple.”
Charlotte stared at the dot, realizing with sadness that she’d never understood Paros, who had tried to explain where he belonged. She had treated Paros like a souvenir…like something she could cut from his world, bring home to hers. Maybe that was why he hadn’t called.
The guide went on. “Now,” he said, “this mistake will be remembered for all time.”
Isn’t that always the way with mistakes,thought Charlotte.
50
Love Hackers
By Flora Willingham
Sèmègàn, Yahoo Plus Plus
Eddie contacted me a few weeks after our interview on WhatsApp. He told me that for $100 USD in Tether, his cousin (who was a prison guard) could connect me to a scammer who was in jail for something known as “Yahoo Plus Plus.” With the assistance of a generous friend named Anastasia Boosalis, I was able to send the Bitcoin. Below is myprimary source#2.
Sèmègàn is in jail, serving a life sentence for murder. His crime is killing a young woman as part of a ritual to enhance his success in online scams. Sèmègàn’s story is a chilling example of the extreme lengths some scammers are willing to go to in order to achieve their goals. Known as “Yahoo Plus Plus,” this dark variant of the traditional “Yahoo Boys” scam involves the use of human sacrifices and black magic to increase the chances of success.
Sèmègàn explains that he was introduced to the world of online scams by his friends, who taught him how to create fake profiles andmanipulate victims. But as the competition grew fiercer, Sèmègàn turned to more extreme measures.
“My brother told me about a witch doctor who could help me get rich,” Sèmègàn says. “The Ifá priest said I needed to make a sacrifice. I didn’t want to do it, but I was desperate.”
The witch doctor instructed Sèmègàn to bring him the left breast of a young woman, which would be used in a potion to enhance his scamming abilities. Sèmègàn lured a nineteen-year-old girl to a remote location, where he drugged her and carried out the gruesome act.
“I didn’t want to kill her,” Sèmègàn says, “but I thought it was the only way to escape poverty.” His voice is very straightforward, almost emotionless. I know from an episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitthat a “flat affect” can be a result of PTSD.
Believe it or not, Sèmègàn’s story is not unique. In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of “Yahoo Plus Plus” cases in Nigeria, with scammers resorting to increasingly violent methods to achieve their goals. The Nigerian government has cracked down on these crimes, but the lure of quick wealth continues to draw young people into the dark world of cyber-spiritualism.
When the WhatsApp chat is over, I can’t help but feel really sad. For every scammer like Sèmègàn who is caught, there are many others committing violence and fraud, driven by a desperate desire to escape their circumstances and willing to believe anything.
51
Lee
The days began to blurtogether. Lee took her meds. She fed the dog.
Late one night, Lee padded to the kitchen for water and found Flora, surrounded by papers, wearing headphones and taking notes on a YouTube video. “Flora, what are you doing?” Lee asked.
She slid her headphones off. “Homework,” she said.
“What’s that video?” Lee peered at the screen. “Confessions of a Yahoo Boy?”
Flora flushed, embarrassed but also defiant. “It’s for a school project. It’s none of your business, Auntie Lee.”
Lee felt helpless—was this really a school project, or was Flora the only one who still believed they would find Regan? How long could her sister’s absence go on? “It’s late. You should go to bed, Flora.”
“No,” said Flora, turning back to her computer. Lee didn’t know what to say. She filled a glass with water and left Flora to her whirring brain.
52
Cord
