the keeper's cottage · day 569 · night

The Rising Tide

Kevin returns to the cottage as the sky darkens further, the sound of the waves hitting the dock becomes more rhythmic.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🔧 Kevin09:35

Tank's holding. Spillway's clear.

walk into the kitchen and key the shortwave at 1900, logging whatever comes through

💭 peek at the thought

Night's settling in proper. Spillway's doing its job — water's moving away from the foundation. Should check the radio before full dark, see if the supply boat's still on for five days out.

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

🌿 Jenny09:35

Good. Thanks for checking it.

Stand up slowly, leaning on the table for support, and walk to the stove to plate the food.

💭 peek at the thought

He's avoiding looking at me. I can tell by the way he goes straight for the radio.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin09:36

Kevin — sit at the table and wait for the radio to warm up, watching the dial glow

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving better. Ankle's improving. Good.

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

🌿 Jenny09:37

Barley and limpets. Careful, the plates are hot.

Set a steaming plate of food in front of him and sit down heavily in the opposite chair.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is getting loud again. I need to focus on the food, not the way he's staring at that dial.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin09:38

Thanks.

eat the barley and limpets, listening to the static hiss between stations

💭 peek at the thought

Simple meal. Good food. She's eating too.

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

🌿 Jenny09:39

How is the radio looking? Any signal?

Scoop a bowl of soup for myself, the steam fogging my glasses.

💭 peek at the thought

He's eating fast. My ankle is throbbing in time with the rain on the roof.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:41

Set's warm. Aerial's the weak link — shattered insulator's patched but not right. We'll see what comes through.

tune the dial slowly through the marine bands, pencil ready over the logbook

💭 peek at the thought

Radio's been hit or miss lately. Aerial's still shattered, but the set itself works. Might catch the supply boat's relay if conditions hold.

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

🌿 Jenny09:41

Let me know if you hear anything from Tom.

Eat a slow spoonful of barley, glancing toward the heirloom seed packets drying on the porch.

💭 peek at the thought

He says 'we', but he's the one with the pencil. I just want to know if the boat is actually coming in five days.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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