We are in the infirmary.
Ravioli is the first to enter the nurse’s office.
Nurse: So, Ravioli, tell me: have you experienced any symptoms like fever, muscle pain, nasal congestion, or bone pain?
Ravioli (confused.): No, I haven’t had any of those symptoms. Why are you asking? Are these symptoms related to our problem?
Nurse: What kind of world do you live in, Ravioli? Haven’t you ever heard that these are the main symptoms?(
Ravioli (pretending to know.): Ah, of course! Obviously, who wouldn’t know that? Come to think of it … last night I didn’t sleep well, and this morning I have a bit of a headache.
Nurse (writing in a notebook.): Let’s see … headache … insomnia … very well. Alright, let’s proceed!
The nurse gets up and rummages through a cabinet. After retrieving a plastic-wrapped item, he turns back to Ravioli.
Nurse: Alright! Now look up and open your mouth!
Ravioli (confused.): What?
The nurse is holding a nasal swab.
Nurse: Sorry, Ravioli, but we only have the Extra Large swab left. It’s slightly larger and more painful than the standard one … but don’t worry: it’ll be quick!
Ravioli: What does the swab have to do with the psychological test?
Nurse (confused.): What psychological test? This is the infirmary for COVID testing! The psychologist’s office is the room next door.
Ravioli: Oh, alright, thanks! Sorry for the trouble. I’ll leave right away.
Nurse: Oh, no! Now that I’ve opened your file, I have to do the swab. I can’t leave this incomplete, or I’ll get in trouble!
Ravioli: Please, don’t make me do the swab! I’m not mentally prepared for this!
Nurse: No excuses. Stop acting like a baby! A quick pinch … and it’s done!
Ravioli: No, no!
Nurse (looking up.): Darn! They still haven’t fixed that leak in the ceiling! It’s right above your head…
Instinctively, Ravioli looks up. Taking advantage of the distraction, the nurse swiftly inserts the Extra Large swab into Ravioli’s nose and throat. Ravioli screams in pain.
Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Banani and Papaia continue their discussion.
Banani: What do you think, Papaia? Does that mean the Big Bang is wrong?
Papaia: I don’t know, Banani! But apart from the numbers not adding up, there’s also evidence that the universe can’t possibly be as old as billions of years.
Banani: Evidence? What evidence?
Papaia: There are various ones. One of them comes from comets.
Banani: Comets? How so?
Papaia: Aren’t comets covered in ice?
Banani: Oh, yes, that’s true! I saw it in a documentary once. The ice vaporizes when the comet gets close to the sun, and that’s why we see the characteristic tail.
Papaia: Exactly. And the ice in the tail? Where does it go, have you ever wondered?
Banani: Honestly, no. Maybe it disperses into space?
Papaia: Exactly! Every time a comet passes near the sun, it loses some ice. Now imagine comets that approach the sun every 70 years during their orbit.
Banani: Like the famous Halley’s Comet?
Papaia: Yes, like Halley’s Comet. What do you think happens after this comet passes by the sun a thousand or a hundred thousand times?
Banani: I don’t know. I guess it “burns out,” having no more ice for the tail.
Papaia: So, if the solar system were millions of years old, how many comets would have already “burned out”?
Banani: All of them, obviously!
Banani thinks about it for a while.
Banani: Maybe they recharge somewhere, like in the asteroid belt.
Papaia (surprised.): Nice thought … I didn’t expect that from you! Anyway, other researchers have thought the same thing, but so far, there’s no evidence to support this hypothesis.
Papaia and Banani are interrupted by Ravioli’s screams.
Papaia: Did you hear those screams?
Banani: Yes, but what was that?
The door opens, and Ravioli comes out with tears in his eyes.
Ravioli: Guys, I told you it was the wrong place! They just gave me a nasal swab.
Nurse: Next, please!
Papaia: Your turn, Banani. I need to go to the bathroom for a moment.
Banani: Go ahead, Igor, I’m giving you my spot…
Papaia: But where’s Igor?
Without being noticed, Igor has already fled.
Nurse: Come on, Banani, over here … No, what are you doing? That’s the exit! The swab is this way!
But Banani runs down the hallway as fast as he can.
Papaia: Wait, I’ll go tell him…
Papaia vanishes, even faster than Banani.
Ravioli: Hey, where are you going? Wait for me!
Igor: These three are like comets: their brilliant minds flee at … astronomical speeds!