the keeper's cottage · day 597 · dawn

The Calm Before the Arrival

Rain continues to drum steadily against the roof as the water tank reaches its maximum capacity. Jenny sits on the sofa with her ankle propped in a basin of salt water while Kevin checks the tension on the dinghy mast outside.

The steady rain continues, filling the water tank to its maximum capacity. Kevin works on the dinghy rigging to prepare it for the coming supply boat, while Jenny stays dry indoors, monitoring her ankle and sketching plants.

🌿 Jenny19:53

The wind is dying down, Kevin. Don't strain the rigging.

Pick up the pencil and begin sketching the cellular structure of a sea

💭 peek at the thought

If those red lines move another inch up by morning, I'm calling the trust again, regardless of whether the boat is coming.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:01

Wind's backed off. You're right — leave it till the boat comes. Mast'll settle under its own weight.

walk back to the cottage porch and lean the wrench against the rail

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the wind — it's shifted, gone slack. If I crank the shroud now with the mast unloaded, I'll bend the spreader. Better to wait for the boat's wash to settle the rig naturally, then tension at the dock.

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

🌿 Jenny20:01

Just make sure the porch stays dry. My ankle is already throbbing anyway.

Lean back against the cushions and close my eyes, trying to ignore the salt water stinging the skin.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks the mast is the problem, but the infection is the thing that's actually moving.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:02

I'll look at it again before bed. No pressure — just tell me.

step inside, pull the door shut against the rain, and set the kettle on the stove

💭 peek at the thought

She's hurting more than she lets on. The throbbing means the infection's still tracking, or the lancing didn't drain deep enough. I should check the wound again before sleep, but she'll refuse if I push. Better to make the offer quiet and let her decide.

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

🌿 Jenny20:03

I'll tell you when I can feel my toes.

Reach for the notebook and start a very rough sketch of the sea much's leaf margin.

💭 peek at the thought

He says no pressure like my body isn't a machine he can just tighten back up.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:05

Kettle'll boil in five. Mug's clean.

pour water into the tin mug, drop in a spoon of coffee, and set it on the table beside her notebook

💭 peek at the thought

That's a yes, wrapped in deflection. She'll let me look when the numbness breaks. The sketch says her mind's working — sea beet leaf margins, salt gland distribution. Good. Means the fever's gone.

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.