Setting: A sunny afternoon in São Paulo. Lucas and Mariana are sitting at a café near Ibirapuera Park, sipping cold coconut water.
Mariana: (frustrated, rummaging through her purse)
Ai, não acredito… my keys disappeared again! That’s the third time this week.
Lucas: (smirking)
Again, Mari? Maybe they grew legs and left you. Or maybe—just maybe—it’s finally time to clean your bag?
Mariana:
Very funny. You know what this means. clears throat, raises her eyes slightly
“São Longuinho, São Longuinho, se eu achar minhas chaves, dou três pulinhos!”
Lucas: (laughs, nearly choking on his drink)
You’re really doing that? In public?
Mariana:
Of course! It works. I found my sunglasses last week and my AirPods after asking him. And I did the three jumps, like promised.
Lucas:
Mari, that’s coincidence. Confirmation bias. Your brain remembers the times you do find things after asking, and forgets the dozen times you didn’t.
Mariana:
Oh come on, Mr. Skeptic. Don’t you ever have moments where logic fails and you just… hope for something magical?
Lucas:
I hope for Wi-Fi when it’s weak. But I don’t jump around for it.
Mariana:
laughs Okay, okay, but listen. My vó swears by it. She once lost her wedding ring, prayed to São Longuinho, jumped three times, and boom—found it in the freezer. The freezer, Lucas!
Lucas:
That’s just misplacing things. If we start thanking saints every time we clean thoroughly or retrace our steps, we might as well give credit to the dish soap when we find a spoon in the sink.
Mariana:
But doesn’t it make life more fun? A little mysterious? Not everything has to be dissected by science. Sometimes, believing in something—even small—brings comfort.
Lucas:
I get that. But beliefs should help us understand the world, not distort how it works. You jump, feel better, then you find the object. The saint didn’t nudge it into your hand.
Mariana:
So you’re saying it’s me who finds it, not the saint?
Lucas:
Exactly! Your brain gets more focused after the ritual. It’s like a mental reset. You’re calming your stress, sharpening your attention—and that’s why you find it.
Mariana:
Hmm. So… my brain is the saint?
Lucas: (grinning)
Saint Cortex, patron of memory retrieval.
Mariana: (chuckling)
Alright, Professor Lucas. But still, I like São Longuinho. He’s like a spiritual search engine—Google for keys.
Lucas:
Fair. Just promise me you’ll at least start checking your coat pockets before calling the poor guy.
Mariana:
Deal. But only if you agree to jump three times with me when I find my keys right now.
Lucas: (groans)
Fine. But only in the alley behind the café. I have a reputation.
Mariana: (smiling triumphantly)
See? Even the rational ones need a little magic sometimes.
(Five minutes later, Mariana pulls the keys from her tote’s side pocket.)
Mariana:
Aha! Thank you, São Longuinho! Now, Lucas—time to jump!
Lucas:
This never happened. I deny everything.
Mariana: (already hopping)
One… two… three!
Lucas: (joining reluctantly, laughing)
If someone’s recording this, I’m suing you.
[End Scene]
Science Vs Superstition 
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