the keeper's cottage · day 18 · evening

Preparing for the Rain

The wind picks up as the first heavy drops hit the roof. You and Jenny sit at the table, watching the lantern flicker.

The supply boat was diverted due to worsening weather, leaving the pair stranded for another week. Kevin attempted to secure the mast step and test the engine, while Jenny prepared a meager meal and protected the garden from the coming storm.

🔧 Kevin13:02

Radio's been quiet all day. Coast guard said supply boat diverted. No ETA.

pour coffee into two tin mugs, set one in front of Jenny

💭 peek at the thought

Storm's coming in hard. Barometer's been dropping all day. Should've checked the radio earlier but the mast step took everything. Now the wind's singing through the eaves and I'm too tired to move.

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

🌿 Jenny13:02

Diverted where? Why didn't you tell me when you heard it?

Take a slow sip of the coffee, eyes fixed on Kevin.

💭 peek at the thought

Diverted? He's telling me now, when the weather is turning and the rain is already hitting the roof.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:04

Diverted to the mainland. Medical evacuation, they said. Someone on another island. Didn't give details.

wrap hands around own mug, not drinking, watching steam rise

💭 peek at the thought

She's not angry. Just... waiting. The kind of quiet that's louder than shouting. I should've said something yesterday. Should've said something three days ago when I first heard.

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

🌿 Jenny13:04

So we're on our own for a while. How much water is left in the tank?

Set the mug down with a sharp thud and lean forward into the dim light of the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

A medical evacuation? That means the boat isn't coming for the supplies, and the barometer is dropping too fast for comfort.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:06

Three ninety-one litres. Call it three weeks if the rain holds clean. Less if the wind drives spray into the catchment.

reach for the notebook on the shelf, flip to the water log page

💭 peek at the thought

She's calculating. Good. That's what I need — someone who calculates. 391 litres minus what we drink, cook, wash with. Two people, maybe three weeks if we're careful. Less if the tank takes on salt spray.

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

🌿 Jenny13:06

It'll hold if we're careful. But if the boat is diverted, we need to be certain about the rations.

Reach over and pull the notebook toward me to check the logs.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right about the spray. If the wind shifts north, the tank will be half brine by morning.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:08

Flour's compromised. Six tins corned beef. Coffee's sealed. Some tinned provisions from the crate — haven't catalogued them all. Garden's giving sea beet and tomatoes coming on.

pull the tin inventory sheet from the back of the notebook, slide it across the table

💭 peek at the thought

She's right to check. I've been estimating in my head. Haven't written it proper since the crate came in. The corned beef, coffee, flour — most of it's still good but the flour sack's chewed through. Mice or rats. Need to count tins properly.

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

🌿 Jenny13:08

The sea beet is enough for a supplement, not a meal. We need to know exactly what's in those tinned provisions before the storm hits.

Scan the inventory sheet, tracing the list of tinned goods with a finger.

💭 peek at the thought

He's undercounting the provisions from the crate. We have more than he's letting on, but the flour is a real loss.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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