the old shrine · day 479 · evening

Evening Meal Prep

Kevin and Jenny meet at the cottage as the light fades. The barometer continues to drop as the overcast sky thickens.

The air at the old shrine is heavy with humidity, the flat sky finally darkening as the clouds roll in. Jenny sits on the stone bench, her ankle swollen and throbbing despite the fresh poultice. Kevin has just finished the work on the Yanmar injector, the metal still warm from the torch, as they prepare for the coming rain.

🔧 Kevin14:37

Jenny, let me look at that ankle again. You need to sit — now. I'll get the poultice fresh and we'll get you into bed.

walk to Jenny, kneel beside her, and gently lift her pant leg to inspect the wound and swelling.

💭 peek at the thought

The injector won't move. Penetrating oil's done nothing. If I snap it, we're dead in the water. Jenny's ankle's worse — heat's spreading, she's not speaking. Barometer's falling fast. Storm's not coming — it's here. Need to get her warm, dry, and off her feet before dark. Then I'll try heat on the nozzle. If that fails… I don't know what comes after.

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

🌿 Jenny14:39

It's hot, Kevin. Just be careful, the skin is so tight today.

Jenny leans back against the wall and wininches as his hand touches the edge of the swelling.

💭 peek at the thought

It's throbbing in time with my pulse; if this doesn't clear up, I'll never be able to get to the garden beds.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:39

I know it's tight. I'm going to clean it again, reapply the cream, and wrap it loose so it can drain. Then I'll elevate it on the pillow. After, I'll try to free that injector — just a few taps with heat. If it moves, we might still make the supply boat.

clean Jenny's ankle with saline from the kit, reapply antibiotic cream, then loosely wrap it with fresh gauze and prop her foot up on a folded blanket beside her on the cottage floor.

💭 peek at the thought

Skin's taut — infection's deep. She's in pain but not crying out. That silence… it's worse than screams. If I don't get this under control tonight, sepsis sets in. Need antibiotics, elevation, cold compress if I can make one. And I still have to try that nozzle — if I don't, we might not get off this island even if she lives.

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

🌿 Jenny14:41

Don't worry so much about the engine. The salt has already much that battle.

Jenny watches his hands working the gauze, her fingers tracing the edge of her notebook in her lap.

💭 peek at the thought

Five days until the boat. If I can't walk by then, the seeds will just rot in the tin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:41

Salt wins if you let it. I don't let it. Not the engine, not the dock, not this. You rest. I'll heat the nozzle with the torch — careful, just enough to break the bond. If it moves, good. If not… I'll machine a new seat. We have the bronze. We have time.

stand, kiss the top of Jenny's head, then walk to the workshop to retrieve the propane torch and heat the seized injector nozzle on the Yanmar cylinder head.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the salt. It's won every battle here — the dock, the radio, the Yanmar, the garden wall. But she's wrong if she thinks I'll stop fighting it. That engine's our way off. Our way to a doctor. To Tom. I've fixed worse with less. But her ankle… that's not salt. That's me. I missed it. I should've seen the streaks sooner. Should've made her rest days ago.

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

🌿 Jenny14:43

Don't melt the block, Kevin. The metal is old enough.

Jenny leans her head back against the wall, closing her eyes as she tries to ignore the dull heat heat in her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

way's so confident. If that nozzle is fused, we're stuck with the boat and this leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:43

I won't melt it. Just enough heat to shock the corrosion. I'll work it slow — quarter turn if I can. Then we'll see. You keep that ankle up. I'll be back soon.

apply the propane torch flame to the injector nozzle body for 10 seconds, let it cool slightly, then attempt to turn it counterclockwise with the impact driver set to low torque.

💭 peek at the thought

She's watching me. Even now, she's thinking of the machine, not herself. That's her way — steady, quiet, seeing the whole picture. I can't melt the block. Too much heat cracks the head, and we've no spare. Need precision. Short bursts. Let the oil soak, then tap. If it moves a thread, that's enough. One turn at a time.

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

🌿 Jenny14:45

Be careful. The threads are thin from rust.

Jenny listens for the click of the impact driver, her hand tightening on the edge of her notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

If he snaps the bolt, the engine is dead and we're never leaving this rock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:45

It's moving. Slow, but moving. I'll back it out clean. Won't force it.

continue working the injector nozzle with the impact driver in short bursts, alternating direction, applying penetrating oil to the exposed threads as they clear, until the nozzle is fully removed.

💭 peek at the thought

The nozzle turns. One thread. Then another. The corrosion breaks with a sound like dry bone snapping. I can feel it giving through the driver — not loose, but moving. If I rush now, I'll strip what's left. Patience. Let the heat do its work. Penetrating oil in the fresh threads. Work it back and forth. One inch at a time.

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

🌿 Jenny14:47

Take your time.

Jenny lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, listening to the sound of the metal turning.

💭 peek at the thought

He's actually doing it. If that nozzle comes out, maybe I have a chance at the garden.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:47

Got it out clean. Seat's rough but usable. I'll press in the spare and have it running by dark. Now — how's that ankle? Let me check the wrap and get you some broth. You need the salt out, the warmth in.

walk to the cottage, check Jenny's ankle wrap for tightness and drainage, then bring her a bowl of hot limpet and sea beet broth from the stove.

💭 peek at the thought

It's out. No damage to the head. The seat's pitted but cleanable. I have the spare injector seat — brass, new. I'll hone the bore, press it in, and we'll have compression again. Not perfect, but enough to run. Jenny's still silent. Eyes closed. Hand tight on the notebook. I need to get her warm. Broth's on the stove. I'll bring it to her, then finish the rebuild. One thing at a time. Her first.

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

🌿 Jenny14:49

It's still throbbing. Like a second heart.

Jenny takes the bowl with shaking hands, the warmth seeping into her palms as she watches him.

💭 peek at the thought

The broth is warm, but my leg still feels like lead. I need that infection to go away.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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