the dock · day 420 · afternoon

Approaching storm

The rain intensifies, and the wind picks up from the north. The tide begins to turn, and the pressure continues to drop.

Kevin assessed Jenny's infected ankle while she drank hot limpet broth, then dressed the wound and gave her the next antibiotic dose. The storm's approach accelerated, forcing them to secure the cottage and review supplies before nightfall.

🔧 Kevin04:34

Kevin — walk up to the cottage, check generator fuel line and storm lashings, then inspect dinghy mooring at the dock

💭 peek at the thought

Storm's building faster than the barometer said. North wind backing northeast means the worst hits after dark. Generator's lashed but the fuel line's exposed — if debris takes it out we lose comms and heat. Need to run a check on the dinghy mooring too; that second stern spring held last blow but the piling's shifted.

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

🌿 Jenny04:35

The barometer is dropping faster now. We need to get inside.

Lean heavily on the railing and limp slowly toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

The pressure is plummeting. If that mooring ring shifts now, the dinghy is gone. I need to get off this dock before my ankle gives out or the wind knocks me over.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin04:36

Right behind you. Grab the kettle off the stove if it's still hot — I'll shut the generator down and run the last of the fuel line check.

follow Jenny toward the cottage, pausing to secure the generator fuel line and verify storm lashings before going inside

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the left ankle hard. The doxy's holding the infection but the joint's stiffening in the cold damp. Barometer's dropped four millibars since I checked at the dock — that's not a squall line, that's a proper low digging in. We've got maybe two hours before the wind makes the dock suicide.

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

🌿 Jenny04:37

The water is probably cold. Just hurry up.

ignore the throbbing heat in the ankle and step onto the cottage porch.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always focused on the machinery while the world is literally falling apart. My leg feels like it's being squeezed by hot pliers.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:38

Two minutes. Fuel line's clear, lashings are tight. Dinghy's riding the spring lines clean.

finish securing the generator fuel line, verify the storm lashings are taut, then follow Jenny onto the porch and into the cottage

💭 peek at the thought

She's masking it. The ankle's radiating heat through her boot — I felt it when she brushed past me at the dock. Doxy's only been in her system six hours; metronidazole hasn't touched the anaerobic load yet. She won't admit it's getting worse. I'll re-dress it with the poultice once we're inside, push the fluids, and if the fever spikes tonight I'll run the IV saline from the ditch bag. But she'll fight me on the needle.

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

🌿 Jenny04:39

way. I'm freezing.

kick the door shut against the wind and lean against the kitchen table.

💭 peek at the thought

At least the boat is secure. I just need to sit down before my leg gives out entirely.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:40

Kettle's hot. Limpet broth with corned beef fat — salt and calories. Drink it slow.

pour the hot broth from the kettle into a tin mug, set it on the table in front of her, then crouch to unlace her boot and peel back the sock to assess the ankle

💭 peek at the thought

She's shivering hard now. Cold sweat on her forehead. The infection's spreading — lymphangitic streaks would show red up the calf if I rolled her trouser leg. Pulse is probably sitting 110, 115. Metronidazole needs another hour to hit therapeutic blood levels. Doxy's doing what it can for the aerobes. She won't let me start the IV unless she passes out, and maybe not even then. Kettle's on the stove. Broth first. Warm her core. Then the ankle.

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

🌿 Jenny04:41

Be careful. It's pulsing.

wrap both hands around the hot mug for warmth and wince as the boot comes off.

💭 peek at the thought

The skin is too tight, too red. If this gets to the bone, I'll never be able to walk the north ridge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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