Riaan woke early, the sun barely peeking over the muddy roofs of the village. Today, he had a new experiment: paper.

He gathered strips of bark, rubbed them smooth with stones, and stacked them neatly. The children noticed immediately.

“Whatcha got, Riaan?” a boy asked, eyes wide.

“These are for recording things,” Riaan said, trying to sound mysterious. “Your work, your thoughts… even your stories!”

The children looked at each other, puzzled. Then chaos erupted.

One boy rolled a strip of bark like a sword. Another drew a monster that looked more like a pile of spaghetti. Laughter exploded across the square. Adults frowned. Elder Tarek muttered something about foolishness, but Riaan ignored him.

*“Perfect,” he thought. “Chaos first, learning later.”*

He drew simple symbols: one for water, one for fire, one for goat. Slowly, the children copied them. By the afternoon, a few had started recording chores and counting livestock.

Curiosity got the better of the adults. A farmer sketched planting schedules. A mother listed children’s names. Even Elder Tarek lingered, frowning—but the frown was softer now.

Riaan realized something important: small wins with kids create social proof for adults.

Every evening, Riaan returned to 5355. He observed advanced cooking and cleaning methods, tools for recording knowledge efficiently, and tiny mechanical ideas adaptable to the village. At night, he traveled back. Each trip taught him which innovations villagers could accept, which required more testing, and how humor, curiosity, and peer influence sped adoption.

The travel was exhausting. His body ached, and his mind raced. But every trip made him smarter, faster, and more confident.

By the end of the week, children scrubbed hands eagerly, adults carefully recorded observations, and even skeptical elders nodded quietly.

Riaan held a soap block, a matchstick, and a rolled sheet of bark. He smiled. *“Three small tools. One big change. And this is only the beginning.”*

The sun dipped below the horizon. Tomorrow promised new experiments—and new surprises.