Nessie is a petname for the Loch Ness monster, a cryptid heralded to be a local in Loch Ness, a lake in Scottish Highlands. My first impression of it is that it’s some sort of an aquatic dinosaur? Some sightings describe it floating with a bulky body and a long head much akin to Lapras sans the spiky carapace. Other indicates an oriental dragon style with a long oscillating snaky body. Over 1000 people have reported spotting the creature as early as 565 AD. In 1500 years, the world has evolved to a pretty sophisticated place. We have DNA database, satellite, and other futuristic named things. There’s enough time for science and technology to either debunk or confirm Nessie’s existence, so why is it still a cryptid?
If I were the Loch Ness landlord, a zoologist, a corporate higher up, or anyone with curiosity and sufficient means to study this colossal phenomenon unheard of in other places in the world, I definitely would. I mean if not for the sake of science or capitalism, it should be characterized for the danger. It’s a normal practice for a naturalist to identify how a biological organism might affect and be affected by the ecosystem. With the climate crisis and all, who knows what might change a dinosaur behavior. Apparently people fish in Loch Ness. What if it eats all the fish there, or die, and the putrefaction results in undesirable chemical changes in the water that might impact the ecosystem? I’m not sure about the technology but people can detect submarines with radar, so detecting Nessie should be plenty possible too. If it is a kind of plesiosaur, they actually feed near the water surface and they breathe air. Anyone with time can also just monitor every frame of Google Earth and catch them in the act (not an easy feat but it’s a way!). If not one tangible evidence is here yet after 1500 years, then I guess it is but a hoax. But it’s a bit weird that every scientist in the world just collectively turns a blind eye to Nessie (do they really tho?).
So I wonder if people in the biology department see this lore in one glance and just agree it doesn’t exist that even debunking it is not worth the grant. Also, Nessie’s apparently an affectionate nickname. So maybe it’s like everyone’s mythical backyard pet monster that even the scientists think dearly of and debunking will kill all the fun? I thought about Nessie a lot circa 2016. That time I couldn’t really find anyone taking Nessie seriously, only sightings and sightings. But a simple google search now results in a genetic study by Dr. Neil Gemmel (finally a party pooper) (no, I’m kidding, sorry Dr.) that rules out the monster factor in Nessie. It’s plausibly a large eel.
*A bit shy on the pursuit, Dr. Neil Gemmel clarified that he was just testing a technology to analyse DNA.
I went to Danau Toba when I was a kid. Bad timing because with that small head I only remember exactly two (not even moving) pictures of the experience, me entering the boat, and the poor lady Batu Gantung, so much for traveling to the biggest lake in Indonesia *kicking blanket*. The next time I went to something remotely similar was in 2015. I went to Waduk Sempor in Gombong. It was magical.
Beholding something so enormous you couldn’t help feeling minute. It was enchanting, almost oppressive yet strangely rewarding. It’s a feast for all senses, the view, the smell, the sound, the breeze sweeping my body, even the sweetness of the air. I felt like cow intestines scrubbed clean and flushed with cold spring water, relieved and fulfilled at the same time. My heart was immediately full but I was so mesmerized I couldn’t take my eyes off. If I could, I would be very much delighted to chug all drops of the reservoir water and inhale the whole atmosphere layer but I could only look and I was frozen for seemingly a long time.
The view reminded me of Jurrasic Park. With details blurred by the distance, looking at a big body of water and small islands far away would yield the same picture 100 million years ago too, right? The thought of time’s immensity shook me and I was in reverence once again. At the time, I could chant takbir and ascribe the accolade to my God Almighty. That made me wonder, what would an unbeliever do in such situation? How would they handle this staggering sensation? Perhaps they made poetry and songs, or perhaps they made a huge mysterious creature they can’t explain. The heart needs a reason, and it doesn’t seem so bad for such a huge place to have one additional huge mystery, it’s already overwhelming as it is. Maybe that’s how people come up with folklores. And now that it has a cute name such as Nessie, it might be hard not to treasure it like a mascot. The fact that it’s aquatic also gives a mental distance that it’s never a real danger. It can be comforting to think that there’s a tame living jumbo roaming near too. Having the lake empty might generate ghostly lores instead. It’s like a leathery water Totoro, I’d keep them if I were Scottish too. It doesn’t matter that it has been ruled out.
Well, that’s my two cents. I mean, what can this Indonesian citizen that I am say? Crazier things like jenglot, Nyi Roro Kidul, and friends need no DNA test to rule out their tangibility, yet they live rent-free on our backyard.
Ps. This essay is made for a writing challenge with Jennie Yuwono. I’ll be updating as frequently as 3 times a week for the next few weeks if all goes as planned. Finger’s crossed! Yey for writing again!
