7.Superstition

Passage 7 Superstition

One person in fourin Britain is, apparently, superstitious, and they'll do everything fromhanging horseshoes over their fireplace to crossing their fingers, touchingwood and absolutely never walking under a ladder.

And they'recareful about cats. Black cats are supposed to be the familiars of witches, soif one is following you it's definitely bad luck—a witch is after you! On theother hand, if one crosses your path and continues then it's good luck becauseit hasn't noticed you. However, in some places the beliefs are different—so itpays to know where your black cat comes from! Old superstitions linger even intoday's modern world. The author Philip Pullman drew on them in his award winningnovel "His Dark Materials". The novel, which appeals to both childrenand adults, has been adapted for radio and also the theatre.