| Dan: | Are you awake? |
| Emma: | Yeah. |
| Dan: | Oh, good. I've been reading this really interesting article about superstitions. |
| Emma: | Uh-huh. |
| Dan: | Some of these things I've never heard of before. |
| Emma: | Go on. |
| Dan: | So apparently in Australia, you're not allowed to, or you shouldn't, take a picture of an Aboriginal person. |
| Emma: | Oh, wow. I wonder why? |
| Dan: | Well it says that Aboriginal people think the photo will take their spirit away. |
| Emma: | Really? Actually, I feel uncomfortable when people take my picture, too. |
| Dan: | For the same reason? |
| Emma: | No, I just don't like it. |
| Dan: | Right. Anyway, there's more stuff like this. So in China, you should avoid giving gifts in sets of four. The Chinese character for four can be pronounced the same way as death. |
| Emma: | Oh, so you can't give presents? |
| Dan: | You can give presents, but don't give them four at a time. |
| Emma: | Four, OK. |
| Dan: | This has never been a problem for me because I think just one present is enough. |
| Emma: | Fair enough. |
| Dan: | Do you know the ladder one? |
| Emma: | About if you walk underneath a ladder, that brings bad luck? |
| Dan: | Yes, that one. Do you know why? |
| Emma: | No, no idea. |
| Dan: | I never knew this either. It says it's something to do with the ladder making a triangle shape and triangles were considered sacred to people. |
| Emma: | Oh, wow. |
| Dan: | So if you walk through them, you're desecrating the sacred space. . . . |