the keeper's cottage · day 15 · night

Evening Meal

Kevin and Jenny sit at the cottage table, the smell of hot corned beef and sea beet filling the room. The radio hums softly as the sun finally sets.

The evening settles under a clear sky as the tide rises against the cottage dock. Kevin and Jenny prepare for rest, considering the tasks ahead for the morning before the supply boat arrives.

🌿 Jenny10:30

It's actually decent. The sea beet cuts the grease of the beef.

Push a small pile of chopped sea beet toward him.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is too heavy, even with the food. I can't stand the way he's staring at the table.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:30

Mm. Good eye on the seasoning.

eat the corned beef and sea beet, then wipe hands on a rag and reach for the coffee jar

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The salt in the beet balances the fat. First decent meal in weeks that wasn't just fuel.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny10:32

I'll put the kettle on.

Stand up and move toward the stove.

💭 peek at the thought

A compliment. Small, but it's something. I wonder if he's thinking about the mast or if he's actually present.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:32

Ta.

watch her move to the stove, then glance at the shortwave on the shelf — battery at 60%, barometer steady at 1038

💭 peek at the thought

Coffee. Real coffee. Not the chicory substitute from the last supply run. The jar's sealed — been saving it.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny10:34

Barometer is holding steady. High pressure.

Fill the kettle with water from the tank and set it on the wood stove.

💭 peek at the thought

60 percent. Plenty of juice for the weekly report, but I hate seeing it drop.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:34

Front's holding. Boat's due tomorrow if the wind keeps east.

pull the sealed coffee jar closer, tap the lid once with a fingertip

💭 peek at the thought

High holding means the front's still out there. Supply boat should make it tomorrow if the wind doesn't shift south. Nine days since last run — they're due.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny10:36

Tomorrow? Kevin, the boat isn't due for over a week.

Glance at the calendar on the wall, then back at him.

💭 peek at the thought

Tomorrow? The schedule says nine days. He's either miscounted or he's hoping for a miracle.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:36

Right. Ten days. Tomorrow's day ten.

unscrew the coffee jar lid, smell the grounds, set a spoon in readiness

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. I've lost track. Nine days since last delivery, ten-day cycle. Tomorrow's day ten. Not a week. My head's been in the engine.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.