Editing Character Vignettes (section)

=='''Erin and Astrology'''==

The two 11 year-old girls were making their way through the mall. One had medium-length blond hair and practical clothes; the other, a redhead, obviously invested far more in looking good (to the extent someone her age could master the concept).

"...was hoping Bobby would be in my class this year, but it looks like he went to a different school. A shame, since he's soooo cute."

"Uh-huh."

"Erin?"

"Huh? Uh, yes, Chloe?"

"Am I boring you? You never seem very interested when I talk about boys."

"I dunno, Chloe. I guess I don't really care that much about romance."

"Your loss, cousin.

Anyway, I'm telling you, this place is great. So many shops...It's almost like being in a big city!"

"I can't wait to see their bookstore. I've been looking for 'The Strange Case of Mrs. Hudson's Cat' everywhere!"

"...Right."

As the two cousins walked through between the stores, they passed near an aged woman, who looked like she had fallen on rather hard times. The poor lady was handing out papers.

Curious, Erin got closer. "What are these?"

"Horoscopes, dearie" the lady gave a pleading smile.

"Ooh!" Chloe seemed interested. "To tell the future?"

"Why yes. Just go by your astrological sign, and you'll read your fortune."

"Neat!" Chloe turned to Erin, but found her cousin to be far less enthusiastic.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Erin protested. "Come on. You know it can't work."

"Why not?"

"So, so many reasons. First, those things were designed based on constellations, and there's no way for the stars to affect our destinies in any meaningful way. Second, the constellations and astronomical signs were chosen randomly. Some Greek guy made them all up. Other cultures have completely different constellations and astrology. Third, your astrological sign is based on the position of the relevant constellation at the time of your birth - but due to the movements of the solar system in the last couple thousand years, those positions have shifted, so horoscopes the world over actually give you the wrong astrological sign to begin with. Fourth, if it worked, everybody who had the same astrological sign would have the same destiny, which obviously isn't happening. Fifth, if it worked, governments across the world would be incorporating it into how they did things. Sixth, even if you COULD see the future, just seeing it would change the way you acted, so making a prediction would automatically make it false anyway. It's all bunk."

The old woman's smile had mostly faded, and she seemed ready to go away, but Erin then proceeded to pull out her wallet, and hand her one pound. "Good luck. Have a good day."

"Bless you" said the woman, smiling, but slightly confused.

As the two girls walked away, Chloe voiced her own confusion. "Wait, if this astrology stuff pisses you off so much, why did you give her money anyway?"

"Just because she's using something dumb to make money, doesn't mean she didn't need help."

"Yeah, but...don't you think the whole reason she was selling horoscopes was so that she WOULDN'T have to beg?"

"You mean, so that she wouldn't feel like she was asking for something for free?"

"Yeah, that."

"Well, that's too bad. I'm willing to help. I'm not willing to pretend I believe in this bull."

"Even so. You didn't have to make such a big deal out of it. It doesn't hurt anyone if they believe in it."

"But it's stupid! And, and false!"

"Big deal. It's FUN, believing in weird stuff. If no-one gets hurt, why ruin it?"

Erin was now getting agitated. "It MATTERS! First, mistakes CAN hurt you. But even if they couldn't, the truth MATTERS. If you don't fight for the truth, it DIES."

"Oh geez. Don't be such a drama queen. It's not the end of the world if people want to make reality a bit less boring."

"But it's not boring!"

"Sure, if you're the biggest science nerd in England. "

"That doesn't...Oh, here's the bookstore!"