[Scene: A cozy café in London on a chilly afternoon. Alice and Ben are sitting by the window with mugs of tea.]
Alice: (smiling) Ben, you won’t believe what happened this morning! I saw a chimney sweep on my way here.
Ben: (raising an eyebrow) A chimney sweep? Do those still exist outside of Mary Poppins?
Alice: (laughing) Apparently, yes! And you know what that means, don’t you? It’s lucky! They say meeting a chimney sweep, especially on your wedding day, brings good fortune.
Ben: (grinning) Alice, you’re not even getting married.
Alice: (playfully) Details, Ben. Details. Luck doesn’t have to wait for a wedding day! Maybe it’s like an early blessing.
Ben: Or maybe it’s just a person doing their job. You know, soot, chimneys, and all that? I’m guessing your luck didn’t suddenly spike because someone was cleaning flues.
Alice: Oh, come on! It’s a proper tradition. People even hire chimney sweeps to attend weddings. Prince Philip did it for the Queen! If royalty believes in it, there must be something to it.
Ben: (laughing) Royalty also used to think bloodletting cured diseases. Should we bring that back too?
Alice: (rolling eyes) That’s not the same! Think about it: chimney sweeps deal with fire and smoke—symbols of warmth, home, and life. Meeting one on your wedding day feels like a good omen.
Ben: Or maybe in the old days, it just meant your chimney wasn’t blocked, so your house didn’t burn down. That’s not luck, that’s good maintenance.
Alice: (grinning) You’re such a killjoy. Don’t you believe in any little traditions? Like tossing coins into fountains, wishing on birthday candles?
Ben: I’ve done them, sure. But I don’t think the universe is keeping track of my candle count. It’s all psychology—when you believe something lucky happened, you feel positive, so you act more confidently. That’s not magic; that’s mindset.
Alice: So you’re saying if I believe the chimney sweep brought me luck, I might actually get lucky?
Ben: Exactly. It’s called a placebo effect. Your brain convinces you things are going your way, so you make better choices. But the chimney sweep didn’t sprinkle fairy dust on you.
Alice: (teasing) How do you know? Maybe their brush has magical bristles.
Ben: (laughing) If so, I want one. I’ll sweep my own flat every day and win the lottery by Friday.
Alice: (smirking) You’d probably call it “statistical anomaly” instead of luck, even if it worked.
Ben: Guilty as charged. But hey, if seeing a chimney sweep makes you smile, that’s worth something. Just… maybe don’t plan your wedding day around soot schedules.
Alice: (raising her mug) Fine, Mr. Science. But if I meet another chimney sweep before I get married, you’re coming with me to buy a lottery ticket.
Ben: Deal. And when we lose, I’ll write a paper on the inefficacy of chimney sweep luck.
Alice: (laughing) And I’ll title it: The Brush-Off of Science.
[They both burst out laughing, clinking mugs.]
Science Vs Superstition 
Tell Us What You Think