Setting: A cozy Toronto apartment kitchen on a chilly Saturday morning. Snowflakes fall outside as the two friends, Raj and Mike, sip their coffee. Raj has a hiccup attack.
Raj: (hic) Ugh, not again. These hiccups are relentless. (hic) Hold on.
(He grabs a glass of water, closes his eyes dramatically, and takes three slow sips.)
Raj: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… there. Done. Watch and learn, my man.
Mike: (raising an eyebrow) Did you just baptize your hiccups?
Raj: (grinning) It’s a tried-and-true cure, buddy. Three sips in the name of the Trinity. My grandmother swore by it, and I haven’t had a case last more than five minutes since.
Mike: Raj, that’s… charming. But come on. You really think invoking the Holy Trinity cures spasms of your diaphragm?
Raj: (shrugging) Well, it works, doesn’t it? You saw it. (waits a beat, hiccups again) …Okay, give it a sec.
Mike: Honestly, it’s probably just the act of drinking water that helps, not the divine shout-out. You know, hiccups are usually caused by irritation of the phrenic or vagus nerves. Holding your breath, swallowing, or even getting distracted can reset the system.
Raj: (mock offense) So you’re saying my grandma’s sacred ritual is just… science in disguise?
Mike: I’m saying maybe the power is in the pause, not the prayer. You could do it in the name of The Beatles and still get the same result.
Raj: (laughing) Imagine: “In the name of John, Paul, and George—sorry, Ringo—be gone hiccups!” Hey, maybe that would work too.
Mike: Exactly! Look, I get that traditions can feel meaningful, but they’re not magic. You ever tried the “scare method”? Like, sudden surprise resets your breathing pattern.
Raj: Oh yeah. My sister once jumped out of the laundry room yelling “RAAAAAJ!” and I screamed so loud I scared the hiccups and the cat.
Mike: That’s the spirit. Controlled terror: nature’s medicine.
Raj: Still… there’s something comforting about rituals. They feel personal. When I was a kid, whenever I got the hiccups, my grandma would sit me down, give me the water, whisper the prayer, and boom—healed. It wasn’t just the water, it was the moment. The love. You can’t measure that with an oscilloscope, Professor.
Mike: Fair point. Emotional comfort has value. Placebo effect is real, and if the ritual calms you, that in itself can help. But I still think people should understand why things work—not just believe blindly.
Raj: I don’t believe blindly! I believe selectively. Like a buffet. Faith here, reason there. Bit of both worlds.
Mike: A spiritual sampler platter?
Raj: Exactly. And hey, what do you do when you get hiccups, Science Guy?
Mike: Me? I hold my breath, sip water upside-down, and do weird breathing tricks like a deranged yogi. Half the time I just give up and hope they go away.
Raj: (smirking) So your method is “hope and contortions.” Mine is holy hydration. Who’s the irrational one now?
Mike: Touché. Maybe we’re both ridiculous in our own ways.
Raj: But at least I don’t risk drowning while doing handstands over the sink.
Mike: Fair. Alright, next time we both get hiccups, we’ll test them side by side. You Trinity, me tactics. May the best cure win.
Raj: You’re on. But don’t come crying when I hiccup-proof your soul.
Mike: Deal. And I’ll bring the oscilloscope.
[They clink coffee mugs, chuckling as Raj finally exhales without a hiccup. A moment of silence.]
Raj: (suspiciously) Wait… I think they’re gone.
Mike: So who gets the credit? The Trinity… or the trash talk?
Raj: Let’s just say—divine timing meets peer pressure.
[Fade out with both laughing as snow continues to fall outside.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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