the keeper's cottage · day 426 · evening

Evening meal and radio watch

The sun is low and the heat finally easing. Kevin has a pot of limpet broth simmering on the stove. Jenny sits at the table with her ankle propped on a stool, notebook closed. The shortwave radio sits ready on its shelf for the 0600 call to Tom. The tide is high now, lapping at the dock pilings.

Kevin and Jenny eat lentil broth in the cottage while the warm rain taps against the roof. Jenny sketches sea beet morphology in her notebook while Kevin monitors the rising barometer pressure and plans the next day.

🔧 Kevin09:55

Broth’s ready. You want some?

ladle broth into two tin mugs, set one beside Jenny, sit on the stool opposite her, eat slowly, watch the steam rise.

💭 peek at the thought

The broth smells clean, like the sea after rain. I’ll eat slow, let it warm me. Jenny’s quiet—she’s tired, but she’s here. The radio’s waiting. I won’t waste words on static. Just say what’s true.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny10:05

Thanks. Just water for now.

Take the mug but don't drink, lean back against the stool, fingers tracing the notebook edge where I sketched sea beet salt glands yesterday.

💭 peek at the thought

The ankle's swelling more now, even with the metronidazole. I need to keep this quiet - he's already pretending the dock bolts matter while I'm the one rotting from infection. That seed tin is still on the shelf, mocking me.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin10:05

Suit yourself.

sip the broth slow, let the salt and fat hit my stomach, set the mug down on the table between us, wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

💭 peek at the thought

She's not hungry either. The heat takes it out of you. Her ankle's propped but the swelling hasn't gone down—metronidazole needs time. I'll eat mine. Keep the other mug warm for later.

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

🌿 Jenny10:07

Water's fine. Better not waste broth.

Shift my foot slightly against the stool, wincing privately, then reach for the notebook on the table to check my barometer readings. </think>SAY: "Water's fine.

💭 peek at the thought

The metronidazole is making me feel worse - that metallic taste creeping in. I can't let him see me suffering. He thinks the dock maintenance is his priority, but he doesn't know about the infection spreading or that I need to plant those seeds before it's too late.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin10:07

Barometer's holding. Rising slow. Eight days to the boat if the high stays put.

reach for my own mug, finish the last swallow, set it down quiet, glance at the radio on the shelf—0600 comes early.

💭 peek at the thought

She's reading my numbers. Good. She's learning the patterns. The barometer's been steady at 987—rising slow. Means the high's building. Supply boat should have a window in eight days if it holds.

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

🌿 Jenny10:11

Let's hope the wind stays down.

Open the own to the sea beet sketch, pencil hovering over the salt glands.

💭 peek at the thought

Eight days. Eight days is a long time if this infection doesn't break. I can feel the heat moving up my shin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:11

Wind's northeast. Swell comes after the pressure turns. Dock fastenings held at the turn. Seaward piling still needs a collar.

stand, stretch my shoulders, walk to the porch door, look out at the high tide lapping the dock, listen for the engine on the water.

💭 peek at the thought

Wind's the variable. Northeast holds, swell lags the pressure. Dock'll take it if the collar clamp and wedges hold. I checked them at the turn. They held. But the seaward piling still needs a proper collar before the boat comes alongside.

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

🌿 Jenny10:13

I'll check the barometer again in the morning.

Sit back down, rubbing the side of my ankle, open the notebook to the sea beet morphology.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always thinking about the wood and the stone. I'm thinking about the pulse in my leg, thumping like a drum.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:13

Low tide's 0630. I'll check the dock then. Radio at 0600.

turn back from the door, pull the chair out, sit heavy, pick up my mug though it's empty, set it down again, eyes on the radio.

💭 peek at the thought

She'll watch it closer than me. Good. Two sets of eyes on the numbers. The radio call's at 0600. I'll wake before then. Check the dock at low tide first light. Then transmit. Nine calls now. Nine mornings of static. Tom's frequency. Tom's silence. I'll keep calling.

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

🌿 Jenny10:15

Don't be late.

Sketch the salt glands on the sea beet, focusing on the way structure.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so focused on the dock he can't see the skin turning angry. The metronidazole tastes like pennies and bile.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:15

Never am.

lean back in the chair, close my eyes, let the tide noise and her pencil on paper settle into the grain of the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

She means the radio call. Or the dock. Or both. I haven't been late for a transmission in eleven months. Won't start now. The broth sits warm in my gut. Ankle throbs dull and deep—metronidazole's working, slow. I'll sleep in the chair if I have to. Wake at 0530. Check the barometer. Check the girl. Then call.

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

🌿 Jenny10:17

I'm going to try to lie down.

Close the notebook, wince as I shift my weight, move toward the bedroom.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is heavier than the rain. I can feel the heatradi off the ankle, a slow fire under the skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:17

Rest. I'll wake you for the call if you want.

stay in the chair, listen to her footsteps on the stone floor, hear the bed creak, watch the porch light fade through the door.

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving slow. The metronidazole'll hit the anaerobes but the tracking's stubborn. She needs rest more than sketches. I'll let her sleep. Wake her if the barometer drops. Wake her for the call if she wants. Otherwise let her be.

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

🌿 Jenny10:19

Don't wake me up.

Lie back, prop the leg up on two pillows, watch the shadows on the ceiling.

💭 peek at the thought

Eight days is a long time if the boat doesn't come. I'm just counting pulses and that tin on the shelf.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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