the keeper's cottage · day 488 · dawn

Morning Mist and Mice

The thick mist clings to the cottage walls, muffling the sound of the lapping tide. Jenny sits at the table nursing her swollen ankle while Kevin inspects the pantry floor for signs of the intruder.

The mist clings to the cottage walls, muffling the sound of the surf. Inside, the air is heavy with the scent of damp wood and drying herbs. Jenny sits at the table, her ankle wrapped in gauze, while Kevin watches the water level in the tank.

🌿 Jenny22:57

It's just a mouse, Kevin. Leave the floor alone.

peel back the bandage to inspect the wound; check the water tank level.

💭 peek at the thought

The redness is holding steady, but the skin feels thin, like parchment. I need to check the water before the fever spikes.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:57

Mouse don't chew through flour sacks like that. But I'll leave it.

walk to the table, crouch beside her chair, reach for the bandage edge with calloused fingers

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the floor — chasing shadows when the real work's at the dock. But the ankle's the thing that matters. If that poultice isn't holding, no amount of oak wedges will get the supply boat tied up safe.

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

🌿 Jenny22:59

Careful. It's tender today.

flinch slightly as he touches the area; pull the leg back an inch.

💭 peek at the thought

His hands are too rough for this skin. He's always trying to fix things with blunt force.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:59

Hold still. I'm just looking.

gently peel back the gauze edge, angling the LED headlamp beam close to the wound

💭 peek at the thought

Heat coming off it before my fingers even touch skin. That's not right. Yesterday the red line stopped at the ankle bone — now it might be tracking up. Need to see it proper.

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

🌿 Jenny23:01

way don't pull. I need to check the water anyway.

watch the edge of the redness; reach for the mint poultice on the table.

💭 peek at the thought

The streaks are still there, moving upward toward the calf. If it hits the knee, the boat better show up on time.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:01

Water's fine. Three-seventy-three litres. You're not changing the subject.

hold her ankle steady with one hand, use the other to lift the poultice away completely, exposing the wound to the light

💭 peek at the thought

She's deflecting — water tank, mint, anything but the leg. The red line's crept two finger-widths past yesterday's pen mark. That's not tender. That's moving.

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

🌿 Jenny23:03

I know the level. It's fine.

stare at the wound; reach for the fresh mint leaves to prepare a new batch.

💭 peek at the thought

He's too focused on the numbers to see the skin. I'm checking the tank because I need to know one thing.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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