the keeper's cottage · day 376 · afternoon

Midday Heat Meeting

The heavy air hangs over the cottage as the sun reaches its peak. Jenny returns from the cliffs, her notebook tucked, while Kevin assesses the state of the dock.

Kevin examined Jenny's leg and found the infection spreading, marking the red line with a pen. He decided to begin a course of spare antibiotics immediately. Jenny rested her leg on the table while they discussed the severity of the swelling.

🔧 Kevin10:18

Back before the wind shifted?

Walk to the porch rail, lean on it, scan the dock pilings where water laps high against greenheart.

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's too high to finish the mooring ring proper. Should've started at low water. She's moving slow — ankle's worse than she's saying.

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

🌿 Jenny10:19

Just now. The heat is getting to me.

wipe sweat from my brow and set the notebook on the kitchen table.

💭 peek at the thought

He's worried about the wood while I'm rotting from the inside.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:20

Kettle's on the stove. Water's hot already. Sit.

Turn to the wood stove, lift the kettle lid, peer at the water level, set it back.

💭 peek at the thought

She's burning up in this heat. Ankle's hot to touch last time I checked. Cephalexin's run out. Need to decide on the spare course before nightfall.

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

🌿 Jenny10:20

Thanks.

limp slowly to the chair and sink into it, resting my ankle on the opposite leg.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't let him see how much I'm shaking.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:22

Ankle up on the table. Let me look.

Pull the chair around, sit opposite her, reach for her calf with both hands.

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring it hard. Red streaks past the knee means bloodstream. Spare antibiotics are broad-spectrum — doxycycline and metronidazole. Two pills each, twice daily, seven days. That's the protocol. Radio for medevac if no improvement in forty-eight hours. Supply boat's eight days out. Storm's building.

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

🌿 Jenny10:23

Okay. It hurts today.

flinch as he touches the swelling, then let my leg heavy on the wood of the table.

💭 peek at the thought

It's hot to the touch. I feel the pulse through the skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:24

Red line's past your knee. We start the spare antibiotics now. Doxycycline and metronidazole. Two each, twice a day. Full seven days.

Gently push up the hem of her trousers, press two fingers along the angry red track climbing her inner thigh, mark the leading edge with the ballpoint pen from the windowsill.

💭 peek at the thought

Skin's tight, shiny. Heat radiating off it. Streaks tracking up the inner thigh now — saw the faint line past the knee this morning. Lymphangitic spread. She's septic. Pulse at her ankle thready and fast. No time to wait.

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

🌿 Jenny10:24

Is it... is it that far up already?

stare at the pen mark on my thigh and swallow hard.

💭 peek at the thought

It's moving faster than I thought. I can feel the heat radiating off the skin.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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