Scene:
8:45 PM, at Mei Ling’s HDB flat in Tampines. Arjun is sitting on the sofa, casually clipping his nails over a tissue.
Mei Ling: (gasps) Eh! Arjun! What are you doing?!
Arjun: Cutting my nails? They’re starting to look like I’m auditioning for a horror movie.
Mei Ling: At night?! Are you crazy? My grandmother always said don’t cut your nails at night — you’ll shorten your life or attract spirits!
Arjun: (laughs) Wah, that’s very dramatic. Just from nail clippings?
Mei Ling: Don’t joke. Last time in kampung, people really believed it. My ah ma said night time is when spirits wander. If you cut nails, they’ll follow the smell or something.
Arjun: The smell? Mei Ling, nails are made of keratin. They don’t even smell unless you haven’t bathed for three days.
Mei Ling: That’s not the point! It’s about respect. Night is yin energy. Cutting things at night symbolises cutting your lifespan.
Arjun: Okay, but think about it logically. In the past, there was no electricity. Cutting nails at night with candlelight — very easy to cut your finger, right?
Mei Ling: Hmm.
Arjun: And infections back then were dangerous. No proper antiseptics, no clinics downstairs. So parents probably said, “Don’t cut at night, you’ll shorten your life.” It’s a safety rule disguised as a scary story.
Mei Ling: You mean it was just practical advice?
Arjun: Most likely. Same with “don’t sweep the floor at night” — because you might sweep away small valuables when it’s dark.
Mei Ling: But I heard stories okay. My cousin cut his nails at night during Hungry Ghost Month. Next day he got fever.
Arjun: Correlation is not causation, my friend. Fever could be virus, bacteria, anything. Not nail spirits doing performance review.
Mei Ling: You very bad one, always mocking.
Arjun: I’m not mocking. I respect traditions. But I also ask — where’s the evidence? Millions of people worldwide cut their nails at night. If lifespan really shortens, hospitals would have statistics already.
Mei Ling: (pauses) That’s true… but still feels scary leh. When I was young, my mother would switch on all the lights if we accidentally clipped at night.
Arjun: That’s actually sensible — better visibility. See? The rational explanation hides inside the superstition.
Mei Ling: So you think all these beliefs are just old safety guidelines?
Arjun: Many of them, yes. Humans use stories to make rules memorable. “Don’t cut nails at night” sounds boring. “Spirits will come and shorten your life” — now that sticks.
Mei Ling: (laughs) True lah. Fear marketing works.
Arjun: Exactly. Ancient public health campaign.
Mei Ling: But you must admit — even if it’s not scientifically proven, traditions give comfort. It connects us to our grandparents.
Arjun: I agree. Culture has emotional value. I just don’t think we should live in fear of invisible nail-inspecting ghosts.
Mei Ling: (grinning) Maybe they’re judging your uneven clipping.
Arjun: Eh, excuse me. I have engineering precision.
Mei Ling: Okay okay, Mister Scientist. So if I cut my nails tonight, nothing will happen?
Arjun: Only thing that will happen is your nails become shorter.
Mei Ling: And my lifespan?
Arjun: Determined more by diet, exercise, genetics — not manicure timing.
Mei Ling: Hmm. So you’re saying my ah ma wasn’t wrong… just living in a different time?
Arjun: Exactly. Her advice made sense in her environment. We just updated the context.
Mei Ling: You know what, next time I’ll still avoid cutting during Hungry Ghost Month. Just in case.
Arjun: That’s fine. As long as it’s personal comfort, not fear-based panic.
Mei Ling: Deal. But if tonight you dream of long-nailed spirits chasing you, don’t come crying to me.
Arjun: If that happens, I’ll publish a scientific paper: “Nocturnal Nail Trimming and Paranormal Encounters in Tampines HDB Blocks.”
Mei Ling: Confirm viral one.
(Both laugh as Arjun finishes clipping his nails and carefully wraps them in tissue.)
Mei Ling: At least throw properly okay. Don’t let the “keratin spirits” roam around.
Arjun: Yes ma’am. Spirit-safe disposal protocol activated.
End Scene
Science Vs Superstition 
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