the keeper's cottage · day 493 · evening

Evening Prep for the Supply Boat

The sun begins to dip as the trade wind shifts. Kevin and Jenny meet at the cottage to prepare the evening meal.

Kevin carries Jenny into the cottage, helping her sit by the stove as the dry-season heat remains heavy and still. The tide is rising steadily against the shore, and the red lines of infection on Jenny's calf are visible in the dimming light of the evening.

🌿 Jenny04:17

The limpets are almost done. Is there any salt?

pours the boiling water into a bowl and sets the sketch of the sea beet aside.

💭 peek at the thought

If the boat doesn't come tomorrow, the antibiotics will run out and I can't walk to the north ridge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:19

No salt left in the shaker. I’ll scrape what’s stuck in the bottom of the beef fat tin—should be enough for a pinch.

walk to the stove, lift the lid off the pot of limpets, stir once with the wooden spoon, then go to the counter and pick up the empty corned beef fat tin, turn it upside down and tap lightly to loosen residual salt crystals into my palm.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide’s pushing harder now with the wind veering west. Jenny’s ankle’s worse than she lets on—she’s favoring it just standing there. I saw the red line creep higher today. I should’ve changed the poultice sooner. The limpets need salt, but we’re low. I’ll check the tin later. For now, I’ll focus on the meal—keep my hands busy, my mind off the letter under the floor.

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

🌿 Jenny04:20

Just a pinch. I need the salt for the broth.

rubs the gauze over the wound and winces as the throbbing in my ankle flares.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always scraping the last bit of everything, like he's afraid of empty.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:21

Here. That’s all I could get. (I place the pinch of salt in her palm.) Eat first. We’ll redress after.

close my fingers around the salt crystals, transfer them to Jenny’s outstretched hand, then step back and pick up my own tin mug, fill it halfway from the kettle, and carry it to the table where the limpets are cooling in the bowl.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s in more pain than she’s showing—winced when she touched the gauze. The infection’s spreading despite the antibiotics. I should’ve pushed for the medevac forms sooner, but the weather held and the boat’s due tomorrow. Now I’m stuck between waiting and acting. The salt’s almost gone—just a few grains. I’ll give it to her for the broth, but I need to think about cleaning the wound again with what’s left of the antiseptic… if there is any. First, eat. Strength comes before care.

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

🌿 Jenny04:22

Thanks, Kevin.

shakes the salt over the bowl of limpets and picks up a spoon.

💭 peek at the thought

The salt will sting if it gets in the cut, but I'm too hungry to care about the burn.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:23

Slow down. Chew proper. (I keep my voice low, not unkind.) You need the strength.

sit on the porch step beside Jenny, take my own spoon, scoop a limpets and broth into my mug, blow on it once, then sip carefully, watching the tide creep up the beach as the sun lowers behind the cliffs.

💭 peek at the thought

She ate two limpets already—good. The broth’s thin, but it’s warm and it’s protein. I watched her hand tremble slightly lifting the spoon. The infection’s taking energy from her. I need to check the antiseptic bottle—see if there’s a drop left. If not, I’ll boil water and clean the wound with that. Better than nothing. After we eat, I’ll do it. No arguing. She’s too tired to fight me tonight.

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

🌿 Jenny04:24

I'm eating.

takes a small limpet, wincing as the movement agitates the throbbing in my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying to be helpful, but the silence between us is heavier than the heat.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:25

I know. I’m right here. (I keep my eyes on my mug, voice soft.) Just… let me help when you’re done.

finish my mug of limpets and broth, set it down gently on the porch planks, then reach over and place my hand flat on her knee—not on the ankle, just above it—steady, warm, saying without words: I’m not leaving.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s pushing through the pain just to eat—stubborn as ever. That’s the Jenny I married. But this isn’t stubbornness anymore; it’s endurance. The wound’s hot to the touch even through the gauze. I saw it when she adjusted her pant leg earlier. If the antiseptic’s gone, I’ll use boiled water and a clean cloth. I’ve got the gauze from the first aid kit—still dry. I’ll re-dress it after supper. No debate. She’ll protest, but I’ll do it anyway. For now, I match her pace—quiet, present. The letter can wait. She can’t.

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

🌿 Jenny04:26

I know.

swallows the limpet, looking out at the red lines climbing up my calf.

💭 peek at the thought

His hand is warm, but the skin on my leg feels like fire.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:27

(I don’t look at her leg. I keep my voice even.) After you finish, I’ll clean it with hot water. Then we’ll see.

rise slowly from the step, walk inside to the kitchen, fill the kettle from the rain tap, set it on the wood stove to boil, then return to the porch and stand just behind Jenny’s chair, waiting, hands loose at my sides, ready.

💭 peek at the thought

She saw it—the red trail. She didn’t say anything, but she saw it creeping up toward the knee. That’s where it turns bad. If it hits the joint, we’re in real trouble. I’ve got the antibiotic blister pack—five doxycycline left. She’s due another dose soon. I’ll give it to her after we clean the wound. Boiled water first, then the gauze, then the pill. No more poultice tonight—it’s drawing, but it’s not enough. We need to hit it hard. And I need to check that mooring line again before dark—the tide’s still rising, wind’s west. The shims could shift. But not now. Now I stay. I stay with her.

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

🌿 Jenny04:28

I'm almost done.

finishes the last of the broth, sets the bowl down, and tries to lift the leg.

💭 peek at the thought

The water is going to boil, and the pain is going to start.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:29

Here. Let me. (I slide my arm under her knee, lift gently, support the heel in my palm.) Easy. I’ve got it.

take Jenny’s foot in my hands, lift it just enough to clear the floor, rest her heel on my thigh, then turn and walk slowly into the cottage, lowering her onto the chair by the stove, careful not to jolt the ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s trying to lift her leg on her own—stupid, proud move. The motion pulled a grimace from her. I saw the muscle in her calf jump. She’s not ready to move it yet. I’ll take the weight. No words. Just do it. The water’s heating—good. I’ll pour it into the basin, let it cool just enough not to burn, then clean from the top down, away from the wound. Gauze first, then the antibiotic. One dose now. I’ll keep the rest for tomorrow. If the boat’s late, we’ll need them.

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.