Setting: A sunny Saturday morning in Melbourne. Two friends — Sam, a practical-minded engineer, and Ava, a cheerful but superstitious teacher — are painting the front of Ava’s house. A ladder leans against the wall near the doorway.
Ava: (pausing mid-step) Sam! Don’t walk under the ladder! What are you doing?
Sam: (looks up, confused) Uh… walking to the paint tin? It’s literally right there.
Ava: No, no, no! Go around! Walking under a ladder is bad luck. Haven’t you ever heard that?
Sam: (grinning) Of course I’ve heard it. I’ve also heard that kangaroos can’t walk backwards, but that doesn’t mean ladders curse people.
Ava: (crossing her arms) Laugh all you want, but I’m serious. My mum always said if you walk under a ladder, something bad happens. Once, my cousin did it and broke his phone that same day.
Sam: (teasing) Maybe he dropped it because he was texting under a ladder. That’s not bad luck — that’s just bad balance.
Ava: You’re missing the point! It’s been a superstition for ages. There must be some truth to it if people still believe it.
Sam: Actually, the “truth” is probably just old-fashioned safety advice. Think about it — walking under a ladder is risky. Someone could drop a paintbrush or spill something on you. It’s not the universe punishing you, it’s just gravity doing its job.
Ava: (hesitating) Okay, that… makes sense. But still, why tempt fate?
Sam: Because fate doesn’t care about ladders! If the universe were keeping score, I’d be doomed already. I walked under one last week while fixing the gutter, and look — I’m fine.
Ava: (smirking) Maybe your bad luck’s just delayed. You’ll probably step in dog poo later.
Sam: (laughs) That’s just Melbourne footpaths, not mystic karma.
Ava: (sighs, half amused) You sound just like my students who say, “Miss, science explains everything.”
Sam: Well, science does a pretty good job! Superstitions like this one go way back — even to medieval times. People thought a ladder leaned against a wall made a triangle, which symbolised the Holy Trinity. Walking through it was like breaking that sacred shape.
Ava: (surprised) Really? I didn’t know that.
Sam: Yep. So it started as a symbolic thing, not some cosmic curse. Over time, people forgot the meaning and just remembered the “bad luck” part.
Ava: (grinning) So what you’re saying is, my superstition has historical roots. That’s practically academic proof!
Sam: (rolling eyes) Nice try, Professor Ava. It’s history, not evidence.
Ava: (laughs) Fine, fine. But humor me — if walking under ladders isn’t unlucky, what’s your superstition?
Sam: None. I only believe in things with data.
Ava: Oh come on, everyone has something. Knock on wood? Lucky socks?
Sam: (pauses) …Okay, maybe I avoid talking about cricket scores before the match starts.
Ava: (grinning triumphantly) Aha! That’s your superstition!
Sam: That’s respecting statistics, not superstition.
Ava: Sure, keep telling yourself that, Mr. Rational Thinker.
Sam: (mock bowing) Fine, Miss Ladder Logic. Tell you what — if I survive walking under this ladder, you owe me a coffee.
Ava: And if something unlucky happens?
Sam: Then I’ll buy you one. Deal?
Ava: (nervously) Fine. But if a bird poops on you, I’m calling it fate.
Sam: (steps confidently under the ladder) Bring it on.
(A distant bird chirps. A small splatter lands on Sam’s shoulder.)
Ava: (bursting into laughter) The universe has spoken!
Sam: (looking at his shirt, then laughing) Okay, fine — maybe there’s some statistical basis for superstition after all.
[End Scene]
Science Vs Superstition 
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