In the Year Ten Thousand

In a distant future where humanity has lived for ten thousand years, a six‑century‑old guide walks with a curious youngster through a vast museum of relics. The boy, eager to hear about the Dark Ages, asks his ancient companion to explain how people once lived. Their conversation opens on a golden‑bound tome, one of the few remaining books from a time when paper was as common as people themselves.

The old man explains how speech gave way to writing and how art grew from crude sketches to the luminous canvases the boy now sees. He points to familiar faces—Washington, a pope, a British statesman—showing early portraits were rough, almost animalistic, reflecting the raw thoughts of their time. As the boy examines the unsettling images, he senses the mix of heroism and brutality that shaped history.

The first act sets the stage for a reflective journey, inviting listeners to consider how far thought, language, and humanity have traveled, and what the distant future learns from our ancient past. It promises an exploration of memory, progress, and the myths that shape us.