Several crudely dressed men stood around gazing at the newly formed axe-head. Its maker was being patted on the shoulder. He was nodding his thanks and obviously very pleased with their appreciation of his talent.
Although they were the scientists and engineers of the future, their deliberations were mainly transmitted with body language and hand gestures. They only had a few words to express their thoughts and opinions.
Suddenly, a younger man entered the clearing in an agitated manner, waving his arms and beckoning for the men to follow.
The head man and well-respected elder was clearly annoyed by the interruption. He growled “What?”
“Come. Come see.”
“Come see what?”
“Come see!”
Reluctantly, the group followed the elder, some shaking their heads, others grunting and laughing.”
They entered the cave and looked around. They could see nothing.
The elder shrugged and raised his hands in an impatient questioning gesture.
The young man pointed to the wall of the cave with a great beaming grin.
They all gathered around in silence staring at the wall. After a minute or so a few whispers started up and two of them were trying very hard to supress a fit of giggles.
The elder shushed them and turned to the young man saying “Drawing.”
The other nodded enthusiastically saying “Um, drawing.”
The old man said “Spider web is all.”
“No spider web – wheel. I call wheel.”
The old man sighed and said “Spider web”.
“No! No, for moving – wheel”
The old man said “What is wheel?”
The young man took up a pose and thrust his hands forward repeatedly, saying “Moving; moving along.”
The old man looked around at the others and said “No wheel – web!”
The young man opened his arms in an embracing gesture “Wheel!” he cried.
“No, web, nothing new. You crazy. You ever crazy!”
Despite the fact that deep down within himself somewhere the younger man felt that the future would see so many of his kind be forever grateful for his revolutionary invention, but all he could say was “No. Wheel!”
So they all jumped on him… and beat him up…