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MORE
THAN WORDS
Words. Eg hated them.
Why did he have so few? If he'd only had a more advanced vocabulary, Eg was sure he would have been able to communicate his theory that his recent odd behaviour was not down to any mental instability on his part.
A former associate of Iogel's had recently been appointed to the Hunter-Gatherer sector of the tribe, and had been suspiciously eager to bring Eg his daily rations. Eg would have bet money- or at least his best spear, as money had not yet been invented and they were still living in a barter economy, much to Eg's distress - that this 'Orgag' character was tampering with his food in some way.
Eg wasn't sure exactly what one could add to fire-burned beast in order to make the Ooogarr eating it go racing through his tribe's clearing, shouting, "Huh! Oo! Wow!" at the top of his lungs whilst brandishing an enormous banana like some sort of futuristic automated weapon, but there had to be something, because Eg Ooogarr was not, never had been, and never would be of anything but sound mind.
"Ug," he said to Arg, hoping wildly that Arg would see past the guttural utterance, and understand what Eg was really trying to say.
Arg, however, just looked confused. "Ug?" he said, taking one of Eg's hands and stroking it gently.
Eg sighed. He really was very fond of Arg, but sometimes he wondered whether his decision to get involved with a member of the notoriously slow-witted Enng tribe had been a wise one. "Ug," he said again, more forcefully this time.
Arg just looked at him hopelessly.
Eg sat back on his heels and thought, hard. What he needed was a phrase that would communicate the negation of Eg's assumed insanity - but that would probably necessitate a word *meaning* insanity, and Eg just didn't think the world was ready for that many syllables.
Hmm. Maybe he should take a page out of Iogel's book and learn to express himself through dance.
A hand on his head brought him out of his reverie. "Eg," said Arg softly. He shook his head. "No."
Eg looked at him, nonplussed. "No?" He hadn't heard that sound before.
Arg shook his head again. "No," he said, vehemently, waving his hands. When Eg just stared at him, Arg gave a snort of frustration and reached for Eg's spear, using the narrow end to scratch a picture into the mud beneath their feet. "Ug," he said, when he was done.
Eg looked down. Arg had drawn Eg, racing through the clearing like a lunatic, while various members of his tribe stared and pointed. One even appeared to be making a sketch of the scene. For all his intellectual shortcomings, Eg had to admit that Arg really was a very talented - that wasn't the point.
The point was, Arg was telling Eg the story of the most embarrassing day of his life - not counting the Initiation Ceremony he'd had to undergo when he'd finally beaten Iogel and taken control of the tribe - and Eg already *knew* that story because, well, he'd lived through it just that morning. "Arg?" he said, although he didn't really hold out much hope for an explanation.
Arg reached out and tugged Eg closer. "Eg," he said, flattening his hand against Eg's chest. Then he pointed down at tiny, muddy, insane Eg, and shook his head violently. "No," he said. "No Eg."
Eg blinked. Apparently he'd underestimated his young Enng.
While Eng was busy examining the drawing and wondering how Arg had managed to come up with a word which expressed negation before *he* did, Arg scampered off to the small cave in which Eg kept his rations.
"Ug," said Arg when he returned. He flung a piece of meat at Eg's feet, and pointed at it, glowering. "Orgag," he said darkly, before pointing at the drawing again. "No Eg."
Eg picked up the meat and looked at Arg, fairly sure that his mouth was hanging open in undignified shock, but unable to care. "Orgag!" he said excitedly, shaking the meat. "No Eg!"
Arg looked wary, as if worried that Eg was going to leap up and race about waving foodstuffs over his head again. "No Eg," he confirmed,
Eg - well, he didn't want to say that he danced, because that would be Iogel-like, and Eg was most certainly not Iogel-like - but there may have been some joyful rhythmic movement of his limbs. Arg understood! And Eg hadn't even had to invent any words!
He may not have been able to speak, or stand fully upright. Or work out how the smooth rounds he cut from tree trunks could make travelling around his territory easier (he knew there was a way, he just hadn't figured out how yet) but at that point Eg felt like the most advanced, sophisticated life form on the planet.
***
Later, after Orgag's treachery had been brought to light - apparently he'd been infusing Eg's food with a certain herb which was very popular amongst the young Ooogarrs and was known to have detrimental effects one one's mental capacities - and Eg had punished him by dropping him off the nearest cliff, Arg was trying to explain how he'd known that Eg wasn't suffering from dementia.
He didn't seem to be able to find the words, but when he took Eg's hand and pressed it over his chest so Eg could feel his life-beat thumping, and then placed his own hand on the side of Eg's face, Eg thought he understood.
Maybe words weren't the be all and end all of communication, after all.
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