Jonathan Sims (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
intheeyeofthebeholding) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2025-09-08 10:17 am
intheeyeofthebeholding) wrote in fandomhigh2025-09-08 10:17 am
Entry tags:
Cryptozoology, Monday period 2
Jon stood at the front of the class and fiddled with his laptop until picture was projected on the whiteboard.
"Mothman." He sighed. "Place of origin: Point Pleasant, West Virginia." He brought up a map. "About 550 kilometers west of here. Er...about 350 miles, for those of you from the States. Or about three-hundred eight thousand Mothmen, for those of you who will do anything to avoid the metric system."
He cleared his throat. "In November of 1966, a couple from the area told police they had seen a large black creature with glowing red eyes by the side of the road. Another woman said she had seen a 'slender, muscular man' around seven feet tall with white wings and hypnotic eyes. The witnesses sped away in both cases, reporting that it flew after their car screeching.
"Rather than conclude they had disturbed an owl with a deceptive shadow, they naturally decided it was some huge moth man. Local newspapers reported it, after which other encounters naturally ensued. Two firemen actually did report it as a large bird with red eyes, and the sheriff believed all of this was due to a large heron. A local biologist told reporters the sightings fit a sandhill crane, and that such a bird might have wandered out of its standard migratory route. You might think this would make people more sensible about it, but you would unfortunately be incorrect."
Jon would be doing a lot of sighing in this class, but honestly, people!
"Newspapers christened it Mothman, one word, capitalized. One man blamed his television's buzzing and his dog's disappearance on Mothman. When a bridge in the area collapsed the following year killing forty-six people, it was blamed on Mothman and sightings were conveniently remembered after the fact."
He shook his head. "After that, the sightings died down, though more recently the town embraced the creature, using it as a point of pride and tourism. They hold a festival yearly." He gestured at the image on the board. "They even built a statue to it. People have conjectured it could be an alien or supernatural being, or a previously unknown species.
"So - crane, owl, alien, supernatural, or unknown species? Discuss."
Please be rational about it.
"Mothman." He sighed. "Place of origin: Point Pleasant, West Virginia." He brought up a map. "About 550 kilometers west of here. Er...about 350 miles, for those of you from the States. Or about three-hundred eight thousand Mothmen, for those of you who will do anything to avoid the metric system."
He cleared his throat. "In November of 1966, a couple from the area told police they had seen a large black creature with glowing red eyes by the side of the road. Another woman said she had seen a 'slender, muscular man' around seven feet tall with white wings and hypnotic eyes. The witnesses sped away in both cases, reporting that it flew after their car screeching.
"Rather than conclude they had disturbed an owl with a deceptive shadow, they naturally decided it was some huge moth man. Local newspapers reported it, after which other encounters naturally ensued. Two firemen actually did report it as a large bird with red eyes, and the sheriff believed all of this was due to a large heron. A local biologist told reporters the sightings fit a sandhill crane, and that such a bird might have wandered out of its standard migratory route. You might think this would make people more sensible about it, but you would unfortunately be incorrect."
Jon would be doing a lot of sighing in this class, but honestly, people!
"Newspapers christened it Mothman, one word, capitalized. One man blamed his television's buzzing and his dog's disappearance on Mothman. When a bridge in the area collapsed the following year killing forty-six people, it was blamed on Mothman and sightings were conveniently remembered after the fact."
He shook his head. "After that, the sightings died down, though more recently the town embraced the creature, using it as a point of pride and tourism. They hold a festival yearly." He gestured at the image on the board. "They even built a statue to it. People have conjectured it could be an alien or supernatural being, or a previously unknown species.
"So - crane, owl, alien, supernatural, or unknown species? Discuss."
Please be rational about it.
Re: Class activity
"Well," she said, leaning back with a push of her hair over her shoulders, "if the Mothman really is some great mysterious creature, clearly, he's doing something right if they've practically deified him."
No, Luma, do not get any ideas. Do not start wondering if there were any major bridges near the new house...
Re: Class activity