the dock · day 581 · evening

Evening inventory and ankle care

Kevin and Jenny stand at the dock as the tide rises. The opened crate sits between them: tins and rope inventoried, seed tin E still damp on a plank. Jenny's ankle throbs; the scalpel is ready. The barometer holds at 995 hPa. They need to secure the seed tin, finish the inventory, and tend the infection before dark.

Kevin and Jenny work at the dock to process the waterlogged crate recovered from the surf. The air is heavy and still as they sort through the contents while the supply boat is still three days away.

🌿 Jenny01:38

Hold the headlamp steady, Kevin. I need to see the depth of the redness before I start.

Pull the scalpel from my pocket and sit on the dock timber, rolling up my trousers to expose the ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If I don't cut this open now, I won't be strong enough to plant the seeds when the boat arrives.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:38

Light's not going anywhere. Take your time.

kneel on the dock planks, brace the headlamp beam on her ankle, keep my breathing slow and even

💭 peek at the thought

She's taking the scalpel herself. My hands were steady enough to lance it once — they're steady now. But she's asking me to hold the light, not the blade. That's trust, or exhaustion, or both. The tide's coming up fast behind us.

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

🌿 Jenny01:39

way... don't flinch. It's going to be quick.

Press the scalpel to the edge of the swollen area, wincing as the first cut breaks the surface.

💭 peek at the thought

The heat is too much today, and the smell of salt and rot is making my stomach turn.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:39

Good. Let it drain. I've got gauze.

press clean gauze to the wound with one hand, keep the headlamp steady with the other, watch her face for the first sign she's going to pass out

💭 peek at the thought

She's doing it herself. My jaw tightens. The cut's clean — she knows anatomy. Pus wells, dark and thick. The smell hits salt air. She's not flinching. I need to catch the drainage, keep it from the planks, have gauze ready.

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

🌿 Jenny01:41

I see it. I need to get the pocket out or it'll keep spreading.

Use the scalpel to debride the necrotic tissue, biting my lip to keep from crying.

💭 peek at the thought

The infection is deeper than I thought; the red streaks are moving toward my knee.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:41

You're doing it. Clean margins. Take what you need.

swap the soaked gauze for fresh, keep pressure on the edges, ready the saline flush and antibiotic cream, watch her pupils for shock

💭 peek at the thought

She's digging deeper now. Not just drainage — debridement. She knows what she's doing but it's her own flesh. Blood mixes with pus. The scalpel moves precise despite the tremor in her wrist. I've seen men scream for less. She's silent except for breath. The tide slaps the pilings louder. Gulls wheel overhead. I should've done this. Should be my hands on the blade.

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

🌿 Jenny01:43

way... just keep the light right there. I can see.

Flush the area with the saline, flinching as the water hits the raw tissue.

💭 peek at the thought

If I lose the leg, the seeds die, and I'll never forgive myself.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:43

Clean. Good job. Dress it and we'll get the tin somewhere dry.

hold the gauze pad ready, keep the headlamp beam steady on her hands, glance at the rising water against the pilings

💭 peek at the thought

Saline on raw tissue burns like salt in a fresh haul — she's flushing it thorough. Good. The wound looks clean now, angry red edges but no grey tissue left. She's panting, sweat on her forehead, hands shaking as she reaches for the antibiotic cream. The tide's at the dock planks now, lapping over the lowest rung. We need to dress this and move the crate contents up before the water takes them.

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

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