The Nudibranche

Last night a nudibranche saved my life. Some people think nudibranches are dirty and sticky animals, but for me they are the symbol of peace. Recently, this was the case, as usual. A report.

At this very moment, I am staying in the kitchen, ready to go upstairs for the night. A small object is lying in the corner, near the dustbin, glittering, and I wonder what it is. Seriously, a nudibranche? In the light of the last lamp yet burning in the house, I bend down to have a closer look. Yes, it is one, for sure. How do they come into the house? I have seen them now a few times ; they seem to have found their way. I don’t know where they come from. Or is it one and the same?

Let’s call him Johnny. While looking at Johnny, gliding through the kitchen, I hear myself saying: ‘Come over here, Johnny’. It’s not really a surprise, that he’s not listening. I realize that there’s a reasonable chance that I could be chosen as the one, carrying Johnny outside. Lucky me. It’s not my favorite job. Opening the back door, that’s the least part of it. The next step is picking Johnny up. A piece of cardboard might help, but I’ll have to find that first. Too much of an effort. So I decide to pick him up with my hands. That’s where he is now, and actuallly he is quite sweet. His antenna’s are out again and Johnny is slithering on my hand, as if nothing happened. Weird animals.

In spite of my admiration for Johnny, I must confess that I would like him to go away as soon as possible. I am sorry for you, Johnny. What can I say? The slimy stuff on my hand is feeling dirty. So there goes Johnny with a swing, towards the grass in our backyard. One would think, that it must be heaven for him. But it’s autumn and allready cold outside, and that’s why, maybe, Johnny decided to move all the way to a well-heated kitchen. Would a nudibranche, if able to choose, leave his favorite meal for a place near the stove? If we only knew the answer to that sort of questions. It would be quite useful. And, it must be said, that’s the case for so many other things.

In the meanwhile, Johnny is travelling back to the kitchen again, I am sure. The longer I am thinking about it, the more likely it is that it’s the same nudibranche over and over again, finding its way into the house. It is Johnny the nudibranche with his brown, slippery jacket, smart as ever. Those animals will survive any circumstance, if only because of the fact that they are neglected by the majority of the world. If you look at their slowness, it is not hard to understand, why they escape our attention.

In fact, they do not survive everything. I am pointing at some tragic incidents, as they are strikingly described by the Dutch actor Brigitte Kaandorp in her show Zó ¹. I mean those nudibranches that, during their big journeys, happen to be the victims of our own activities. Now and then, restless people, just like you and me, badly want to have something out of the shed in the garden. And there, in front of the door, a nudibranche is crawling. Totally unaware of any danger, he is crushed under the door, if not under one of our shoes. In the eyes of nudibranches, the world around them must be terribly blunt, as opposed to their own charming and elegant world. Ballet dancers and pantomime players excepted.

What is behind the nudibranche? I think the answer to this question could bring us, human beings, a lot. The breathtaking and sensual scene ‘L’amour d’escargots’ from the documentary film Microcosmos ² allready gave me insight in their world. The sculpture of Rodin, The Kiss ³, has the same effect on me. But it’s hard to describe that feeling. Even when I am thinking of the drawings of the famous sweet couple with the text underneath ‘Love is…’, no words are coming to my mind. All you can use are general terms like ‘love’, ‘toghether’ and ‘feeling’, but they hardly add anything.

When we feel empathy for the slowest, most slippery and most naked creatures of the world, one might say that we achieved a higher purpose. Do we really want peace on earth? Well, look at Johnny, the nudibranch. He’s not looking for peace, he is peace itself. Just like his bigger brother, the whale. They both are gliding, the nudibranche on the earth, the whale through the water. They both are harmless. Both vegetarians. Not aggressive at all. Peace loving animals. Living in harmony with nature. For me, nudibranches are the symbol of peace on earth, as for whales are symbolizing peace at sea.

I am walking inside and wash my hands. Removing the slime is not so easy after all, not even with hot water. It was a pleasure to meet you, Johnny. Now I have to go on, back to my own world. No more trifling details. Besides, it's sleeping time and tomorrow I have important matters to do. However, I am glad that I gave ‘Johnny the nudibranche’ a place among the greatest on earth.

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