Setting: Lúcia’s small but cozy apartment in São Paulo. Carla has just arrived for their usual Saturday coffee and pão de queijo chat.
Carla: (steps inside and nearly trips over something) Whoa! What’s this broom doing behind the door again? Is it trying to assassinate me?
Lúcia: (grinning) Ah, não! It’s there for protection, Carla! You know that already. I told you — it’s to make unwanted guests leave quickly.
Carla: So am I the unwanted guest today?
Lúcia: Of course not! I forgot it was still there after Tia Rosa’s visit on Thursday. She talks nonstop. I needed help from the broom. It worked — she left in thirty minutes!
Carla: (laughing) Lúcia, come on. Tia Rosa probably had another appointment. You really think the broom scared her off?
Lúcia: It’s tradition! My avó swore by it. She even used to whisper “vá embora” to the broom for extra power. And every time someone she didn’t like came over, they left super fast.
Carla: Or maybe your grandma just gave them the death stare and they ran. That’s science right there — body language, social cues. No need for a janitorial talisman.
Lúcia: You always want to explain everything with science. But not everything has to make sense logically. Some things just work.
Carla: Okay, but let me ask you something — have you ever tested it? Like, a real experiment? Unwanted guest, no broom. Guest again, broom behind the door. Controlled conditions?
Lúcia: (smirking) You want me to run a randomized broom trial?
Carla: Yes! Preferably double-blind. Though I’m not sure how we’d blind someone to the broom behind the door unless we cover their eyes with a blindfold, which would make them even less likely to notice and leave…
Lúcia: You’re impossible! It’s just… comforting, you know? Like wearing lucky underwear before a job interview. Or not putting your purse on the floor so money doesn’t go away.
Carla: That one too?! Lúcia, your apartment is a minefield of magical beliefs.
Lúcia: Hey, my rent’s paid, I’ve never been robbed, and I haven’t seen a cockroach in months. Maybe my charms are working.
Carla: Or maybe you pay your bills on time, lock your door, and bought that industrial-strength bug spray.
Lúcia: I’m not saying science doesn’t matter, Carla. I got vaccinated, didn’t I? But I think these traditions have emotional value. They connect me to my family, my culture.
Carla: That, I can respect. Cultural rituals are powerful. But maybe don’t credit the broom for every miraculous exit. Imagine if your boss came over — are you going to hide the broom and hope they stay?
Lúcia: (laughs) No, I’d keep the broom and offer horrible coffee. That usually does the trick faster.
Carla: (laughing) That’s more like it. Strategic sabotage — now that’s believable.
Lúcia: So you won’t ever try the broom?
Carla: Only if I can install a motion sensor on it to collect data. We’ll chart visit durations over a month. Make it a science project.
Lúcia: You’re such a nerd. But okay. We’ll call it the Broom Effect Study of São Paulo, 2025.
Carla: (sips coffee) Deal. And if we publish it, I want top billing.
Lúcia: Fine. Just don’t trip over the broom on your way out. I want you to come back!
Carla: (grinning) If the broom lets me.
[End Scene]
Science Vs Superstition 
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