Walking under a ladder brings bad luck

[Scene: A sunny afternoon in São Paulo. Lucas and Mateus are walking down a street after grabbing some pão de queijo. They approach a building under renovation with a ladder leaning against the wall.]

Mateus: [grabs Lucas’s arm] Stop! Don’t go under the ladder!

Lucas: [raising an eyebrow] Seriously? Mateus, it’s just a ladder. I’m not about to get struck by lightning or possessed by a ghost.

Mateus: [serious] That’s exactly what someone who’s about to be cursed would say. You never walk under a ladder, cara. It’s basic Brazilian survival.

Lucas: [laughing] Survival? Come on, man. I’ve walked under ladders plenty of times. The only bad thing that ever happened was I got paint on my shirt once. And that was because the painter sneezed.

Mateus: That is bad luck! See? The universe gave you a sign, and you ignored it.

Lucas: No, the painter gave me a sneeze. There’s a difference.

Mateus: Look, this belief goes way back. Even my avó used to say, “Debaixo de escada, só o azar se atreve a passar.” That means something!

Lucas: So does my physics professor when he says, “Gravity doesn’t care about your grandma.” Ladders don’t cause bad luck; they just have the potential to fall if someone’s careless. It’s a safety issue, not a spiritual one.

Mateus: Safety or not, bad things happen. I once stepped under a ladder on my way to the bakery, and guess what? They were out of coxinhas. All day. Coincidence? I think not.

Lucas: [laughing hard] That’s your big example? A coxinha shortage? Bro, that was probably just a rush hour, not the ladder cursing your lunch.

Mateus: Don’t mess with the coxinhas, Lucas. That was tragic.

Lucas: Okay, let me ask you this. If walking under a ladder brings bad luck, what happens when a cat walks under one? Do cats get cursed? Or is there like a feline exemption clause?

Mateus: Hmm. Cats already have weird energy. Black cats especially. Maybe that’s why they say black cats crossing your path is also unlucky!

Lucas: Again with the black cats! You realize these superstitions come from medieval Europe and got tangled up in colonization and cultural mixing, right? It’s all folklore, not fact.

Mateus: But folklore carries wisdom! Just like we don’t sweep someone’s feet or else they’ll never get married.

Lucas: Right, because brooms are apparently the gatekeepers of matrimony.

Mateus: Don’t joke! My cousin Julia’s been single for years after my niece swept her feet. We all saw it.

Lucas: [grinning] Or… maybe she just hasn’t met someone she clicks with. You know, like normal people?

Mateus: You and your “science” always ruin the magic.

Lucas: I don’t want to ruin it, I just want you to think critically. Superstitions can be fun, sure—but when they start controlling your life, that’s where I draw the line.

Mateus: [sighs] I know. But it’s like… a little part of me believes it keeps the chaos away. Like, if I follow the rules, I’ll stay safe.

Lucas: That makes sense psychologically. Humans love patterns. We like to believe we can control the uncontrollable. But believing in something just because it’s comforting doesn’t make it true.

Mateus: You sound like a therapist and a robot combined.

Lucas: I’ll take that as a compliment.

[They reach the ladder again. Lucas boldly walks under it.]

Lucas: See? Nothing happened.

[A bird poops on Lucas’s shoulder.]

Mateus: [gasps] I TOLD YOU! It’s the ladder curse!

Lucas: [deadpan, wiping his shirt] That, my friend, was just São Paulo pigeons doing what they do best. Next time, I’m carrying an umbrella—scientific precaution.

Mateus: Or you could just not walk under ladders. Simple. Safe. Superstitiously sound.

Lucas: And miss the chance to prove you wrong in style? Never.

[They both laugh as they continue walking, one cautiously skirting ladders, the other watching the sky for pigeons.]

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[End Scene]