Setting:
A chilly Saturday afternoon in a quiet courtyard in Yaroslavl, Russia. Snow dusts the edges of the cobblestones. Two friends, Misha and Andrei, are walking home from the local bakery, sipping hot kvass from paper cups.
Misha: (grabbing his left ear suddenly)
Oy blin, it’s happening again. My ear just started ringing. Someone’s talking about me!
Andrei: (raising an eyebrow)
Maybe it’s the cold. Or the kvass. You sure it’s not just frostbite setting in?
Misha: (ignoring the comment)
It’s the left one… that means someone’s saying something bad about me. I bet it’s Lena from work. She didn’t like my borscht comment yesterday.
Andrei:
Wait, wait. You’re basing that on… an ear ringing? Misha, you know that’s just a superstition, right?
Misha:
Come on, don’t be so dull. It’s an old Russian tradition! Left ear – bad talk. Right ear – good talk. Guess which one, and if you’re right, make a wish. It’s always worked for me!
Andrei:
Define “worked.” You mean you guessed and then something you wanted eventually happened? That’s just coincidence. Like that time you wished for snow on New Year’s and got it… in March.
Misha: (grinning)
Still counts! Besides, it’s fun. And it feels real. You’re telling me you’ve never had a weird gut feeling that turned out right?
Andrei:
Sure, but that’s intuition, not magic ear radar. Let me explain—
When your ears ring, it’s usually due to changes in blood pressure, earwax buildup, maybe stress, even caffeine! Not Lena gossiping about your culinary critiques.
Misha: (mock serious)
Okay Dr. Science, next you’ll tell me black cats crossing the road aren’t bad luck either.
Andrei:
They’re not. They’re just cats. They don’t care about your fate—they probably just want snacks.
Misha:
But think about it. Every time I ignore a ringing ear, something does happen. Once, I ignored my left ear ringing, and the next day, my bicycle got stolen.
Andrei:
Misha, you left it unlocked. In front of a bar.
Misha:
Still!
Andrei: (chuckling)
Look, I get it. Traditions are comforting. And sure, guessing and wishing can be a fun little game. But let’s not confuse tradition with cause-and-effect. If ear ringing truly predicted gossip, I’d have tinnitus every Monday morning at work.
Misha: (laughing)
You just don’t want to admit that science doesn’t have all the answers. Some things are… beyond explanation.
Andrei:
Not “beyond,” just not explained yet. Like how you somehow keep getting promoted despite starting every Zoom meeting on mute.
Misha: (smirking)
Maybe that’s the power of the right ear ringing. Good things happen when people can’t hear me.
Andrei:
Ha! Now that I might believe.
[Pause. They sit down on a bench dusted lightly with snow.]
Misha: (quieter)
But seriously, don’t you ever wish something unscientific could be true? Just for the wonder of it?
Andrei: (thoughtfully)
Sometimes, yes. I mean, I want magic to exist. I just don’t want to pretend it does when there’s a better explanation. That said… if you did hear gossip through your ear, I’d want front-row tickets.
Misha: (grinning)
Fine. But if I guess the ear right this time, I’m wishing for you to get a date by next Friday.
Andrei:
What if it’s the left ear?
Misha:
Then I’m wishing for your ex to text you. Again.
Andrei: (horrified)
Now that’s supernatural evil.
Science Vs Superstition 
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