the old shrine · day 460 · evening

The Evening Tide Returns

The sky darkens further than expected, and the first heavy drops of rain hit the roof just as the tide reaches its peak.

Kevin and Jenny secured the cottage shutters against rising wind and rain, then Kevin attempted radio contact with Tom and the supply boat without success. They retreated inside as the tide rose and swell increased.

🌿 Jenny19:36

Kevin, get the shutters down, now!

stand up painfully, grab the notebook and seed tin, and retreat inside the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

The pressure is dropping too fast; if this storm hits before the boat, the seedlings will be lost.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:36

Going.

Sprint from the shrine to the cottage, grab the shutter bars and mallet from the porch, and secure the two remaining bedroom shutters with bolts and wedges.

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving fast for someone who could barely put weight on that ankle an hour ago. Storm's hitting harder and sooner than the barometer warned. Two shutters left on the bedroom — need them dogged down before the wind tears them off the hinges.

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

🌿 Jenny19:39

Check the kitchen window too, theので has been rattling!

sit at the kitchen table, lift my swollen own onto the chair, and watch the rain blur the glass.

💭 peek at the thought

He's fast, but the wind is picking up—I need to check the seal on the door.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:39

Kitchen's barred. Hinge pin on the windward side was loose — I'll pin it proper.

Grab the hammer and a drift punch from the tool belt, step up on the kitchen counter, and peen the loose hinge pin flat on the windward shutter. Wedge a nail set beside it to lock it. Check the catch engages clean.

💭 peek at the thought

Kitchen shutter's already done — did it yesterday when the barometer started dropping. But the hinge pin on the windward side was loose. If it's rattling, the pin's working out. Need to peen it or wedge it before the glass goes.

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

🌿 Jenny19:41

Good. Don't stay out there too long.

open the tin of grandmother's seeds and trace the edges of the metal with my thumb.

💭 peek at the thought

At least one thing is holding. The wind is starting to howl through the ridge now.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:41

Won't. Radio next.

Walk to the radio cabinet, check the coax connection at the new insulator, power up the shortwave, and tune to Tom's frequency. Key the mic: "G7KVN calling G3TMS. Sorrel Island. Over."

💭 peek at the thought

She's not just checking seeds. She's holding onto something solid while the world shakes loose. The tin's got her grandmother's handwriting on the label — same hands that taught her to save tomato seed before the first frost. I'll give her a minute, then get the radio squared away. Tom's frequency at 0400. Again.

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

🌿 Jenny19:43

Tell him the barometer is crashing. We need supplies.

lean my head back against the wall, closing my eyes, and listen to the rain.

💭 peek at the thought

If that static doesn't clear, I'm really alone with this leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:43

G7KVN calling G3TMS. Sorrel Island. Barometer nine-seven-two and dropping. Wind northeast force eight, gusting higher. Request supply boat ETA and weather window. Over.

Release the mic, hand on the squelch, listening through the static for any reply.

💭 peek at the thought

She doesn't know I've been calling. Doesn't know the supply boat's already four days overdue and the trust's evacuation letter is folded in my pocket. Tom wouldn't bring supplies anyway — he's my brother, not the boat. But she's scared and the barometer is 972 and falling. I'll say what she needs to hear.

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

🌿 Jenny19:45

Come on, answer...

rub my throbbing ankle and wince at the movement.

💭 peek at the thought

Nothing but the hiss of the storm. The island is closing in.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:45

Nothing on Tom's end. Trying the supply boat channel.

Switch frequency to the supply boat working channel, key the mic: "Sorrel Island calling supply vessel. Position 49-12 North, 006-18 West. Barometer 972 hPa falling. Request position and ETA. Over."

💭 peek at the thought

Nothing but white noise and the storm eating the signal. Ionosphere's churning — D-layer absorption from the low pressure, maybe. Or he's not there. Or he is and can't hear us. Either way, the radio's doing what it can. I should try the supply boat frequency next, then secure the dinghy lines one more time before the surge hits the dock.

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

🌿 Jenny19:47

They have to be out there somewhere. ownDO: clutch the seed tin tighter and listen to the white noise.

💭 peek at the thought

If they didn't come four days ago, the infection will reach the bone.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:47

Supply boat's not answering. I'm checking the ditch bag and the dinghy lines. You stay put, keep the ankle up.

Walk to the porch, lift the ditch bag from its hook, carry it to the dock, and secure it to the dinghy's forward eye bolt. Inspect the storm anchor warp, the doubled stern lines, the chafe gear.

💭 peek at the thought

Supply boat's not answering either. Could be they're hove to, could be the mast's down, could be they're not coming. The letter in my pocket says "evacuation window closes 48 hours from receipt" — that was three days ago. Jenny's ankle is tracking red to her groin. The antibiotics are holding but sepsis doesn't care about schedules. I need to get the ditch bag to the dinghy, check the liferaft canister seal, and make sure the handheld VHF has any charge at all. If the supply boat doesn't appear by morning, we leave on the dinghy. Open water in this. But the Yanmar's running. The ditch bag is packed. We have a chance.

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

🌿 Jenny19:49

Kevin, wait! The swell is coming too fast!

watch him through the window, my heart hammering against my ribs.

💭 peek at the thought

He's going out in that? The tide is too high.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:49

Coming in. Too much water under the dock.

Abandon the ditch bag on the dock, sprint back through the rain to the cottage, and shut and bar the front door behind me.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The tide's peaked and the surge is already lifting the dock pilings — I can see the timbers groaning under the strain. If I'm on the dock when the next set hits, I could be swept into the pilings or taken offshore in the backwash. Need to get off the wood now, secure what I can from the cottage, then ride it out inside.

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

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