the keeper's cottage · day 514 · night

The Rot Beneath

The evening trade wind remains steady as the tide continues to drop, revealing more of the rock-strewn shore.

Dawn breaks over a heavy, grey sky. The air is thick with humidity, and Jenny's ankle is still throbbing despite the fresh dressing. Inside the cottage, the smell of damp wood is rising—the slow, sweet rot of the water overflow seeping into the floorboards.

🌿 Jenny02:37

I'm going to eat. And then I'm checking the tank.

Limp to the stove and scoop the remaining limpet broth into a tin mug.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't keep sitting here. The hunger is a hollow ache, and this ankle feels like it's pulsing in time with my heart. I need to move or I'll rot right along with the floorboards.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin02:38

I'll take the pot off the heat. Let it cool a bit before you drink.

lift the pot of limpet broth from the stove and set it on the counter to cool.

💭 peek at the thought

The broth's warm. She's moving slow on that ankle. I should've fixed the dock ring properly this morning instead of fighting the tide. Now she's limping to the stove like it's nothing.

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

🌿 Jenny02:39

Thanks.

Take a small sip of the broth, wincing as the heat hits my throat.

💭 peek at the thought

way's always so helpful with the things that don't matter while the real problem is underfoot.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:40

Blow on it first. Don't scald your throat.

watch Jenny sip the broth, then walk to the pantry for the gauze and antibiotic cream.

💭 peek at the thought

She's drinking it too hot. That ankle's still inflamed — the poultice helped but it's not enough. I should rewrap it with fresh gauze after she eats.

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

🌿 Jenny02:41

I know.

Set the mug down on the scarred table and rub the throbbing skin around my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's acting like I don't know how hot soup works. I'm a botanist, not a child.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:42

Let me do it. You've been on your feet all day.

kneel beside Jenny's chair, take her foot gently, and begin cleaning the ankle with saline from the first aid kit.

💭 peek at the thought

She's rubbing it raw. The skin's red and tight around the wound. I need to clean it again, reapply the cream, and wrap it tight before it gets worse.

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

🌿 Jenny02:42

Jenny — lean back in the chair and look away, staring at the peeling whitewash on the wall while he works.

💭 peek at the thought

He's being too gentle. It makes the silence feel heavier, like he's treating me as something already broken.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin02:44

This might pull a little. Breathe.

apply antibiotic cream to the inflamed skin, then wrap the ankle snugly with clean gauze, securing it with a knot.

💭 peek at the thought

She won't meet my eyes. Not since the radio silence. I know she's listening for Tom's frequency too — just won't say it. I'll wrap this tight and say nothing. Let the work speak.

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.