Setting: A cozy café in Sydney on a sunny Saturday morning.
Liam: (handing over a small wrapped box) Happy birthday, mate! Thought you could use this.
Ava: (grinning) Aw, thanks, Liam! What’s this—oh wow, a leather wallet! It’s gorgeous.
Liam: Glad you like it. I figured your old one was hanging on for dear life.
Ava: Yeah, it was practically begging for retirement. But… wait. You gave it to me empty?
Liam: Uh… yeah? It’s a wallet, not a piggy bank.
Ava: Liam! You’re never supposed to gift an empty wallet! That’s bad luck. You have to put at least a coin or a note inside—it brings prosperity.
Liam: (laughing) Oh, come on, Ava. You actually believe that?
Ava: Of course I do! My mum’s been doing that for years. Every wallet she’s gifted—with a coin inside—ended up bringing the person some kind of luck.
Liam: Really? So you’re telling me those coins have magical wealth-attracting powers? Maybe I should drop a few into my rent envelope next month and see if it fills itself.
Ava: Don’t mock it! It’s symbolic. Giving an empty wallet means you’re wishing the person an “empty” future—no money, no success. But putting a coin means you’re passing on abundance.
Liam: Or it means your mum’s good at budgeting and knows people remember to use the wallet if there’s already cash inside.
Ava: You scientists and your logic. You ruin all the fun out of traditions.
Liam: It’s not about ruining fun—it’s about thinking critically. There’s no evidence that a coin changes someone’s financial fortune. Luck doesn’t come from metal—it comes from habits.
Ava: Fine, but then explain why every time I’ve been gifted a wallet with a coin, I’ve had a financial win soon after. My cousin gave me one for my 25th, and that week, I got a bonus at work!
Liam: That’s correlation, not causation. You probably got the bonus because you worked hard, not because of a 20-cent piece.
Ava: Still, I’d rather keep the tradition. It feels… reassuring. Like starting something new with a small blessing.
Liam: Okay, that I get. Traditions give comfort. There’s nothing wrong with that—as long as you know it’s just a symbolic gesture, not a cosmic law.
Ava: So, what you’re saying is, I can keep doing it—but not blame my wallet if my bank balance runs low.
Liam: Exactly. Unless your wallet’s been doing your online shopping too.
Ava: (laughing) Fair point. But next time you gift someone a wallet, just pop in a coin, alright? Even if it’s just to humour us “superstitious types.”
Liam: Deal. I’ll even make it a gold coin—maximum prosperity.
Ava: That’s the spirit! See, science and superstition can get along after all.
Science Vs Superstition 
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