the keeper's cottage · day 721 · dawn

Morning on the Porch

Kevin and Jenny sit on the cottage porch under overcast skies, the generator humming from the shed. Jenny's leg is propped on a stool, the ankle wrapped in fresh gauze with a sea beet poultice beneath; a tin mug of limpet broth steams beside her. Kevin has the shortwave radio on the table, the barometer reading 975 hPa and rising, and a notebook open to a blank page for the letter to Tom.

The morning air is heavy with humidity, the overcast sky pressing low over the cottage. Inside, the rhythmic tap-tap of water hitting the kitchen floorboards confirms that the patch on the roof failed to hold against the rising pressure.

🔧 Kevin21:01

Broth's still hot if you want more. Radio check at 0800 — captain said he'd try for high tide in three days, two-hour window.

pick up the pen and open the notebook to the blank page, tap the nib against the paper once

💭 peek at the thought

Barometer rising means the worst's past, but the drips inside tell me the roof's still weeping. Jenny's ankle looks cleaner — no green at the margins, red lines holding at the mark. She's eating. That's more than yesterday. The letter to Tom sits blank. Three days to the supply boat. I should write something before the radio window opens.

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

🌿 Jenny21:06

I'm fine. Just... let me sit.

Reach for the mug of broth with a trembling hand, taking a slow sip while staring at the rain hitting the tarp.

💭 peek at the thought

Three days is a long time if the fever doesn't break; the ankle feels heavy.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:06

Take your time. No rush on anything today.

set the pen down, pull the wool blanket from the porch rail and drape it over her shoulders without a word

💭 peek at the thought

Hands shaking. Could be the fever, could be the antibiotics hitting empty stomach, could be the storm didn't break her but the waiting did. She won't say which. I'll watch the mug level drop and not press.

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

🌿 Jenny21:08

Thanks, Kevin.

Lean back into the blanket, closing eyes for a moment to let the warmth from the mug seep through the chill.

💭 peek at the thought

He's being too nice, it makes me feel how bad I actually look.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:08

Rest. I'll check the roof drips while it's light.

stand, pull the porch door shut behind me, walk to the east end of the cottage to inspect the new leaks hitting the kitchen floorboards

💭 peek at the thought

She's still here. Still breathing. The blanket's thin but it's dry. Three days till the boat — if it comes. I've got generator fuel, dry wood, antibiotics for another round if the infection flares. The letter to Tom can wait another hour. Or another day. The sea doesn't care about my timing.

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

🌿 Jenny21:10

Be careful on the ladder.

Shift my weight off the ankle, wincing as the movement sends a sharp throb of heat up to my knee.

💭 peek at the thought

If the roof goes through, the seed tin is ruined. I need to move it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:10

Always am. Stay put.

climb the ladder to the porch roof, crouch-walk to the west ridge where the tarp meets the chimney flashing, probe the battened edges with gloved fingers for water entry points

💭 peek at the thought

She hears everything. Even the ladder rungs I haven't touched yet. Knee pain's new — or she's only mentioning it now. Could be referred from the ankle, could be the infection tracking up the lymph. Need to check the groin nodes when she lets me. Later. Roof first.

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

🌿 Jenny21:13

There's another leak near the kitchen window. There's another leak near the kitchen window.

Try to shift position without putting weight on the ankle, settling deeper into the stool with a groan. </think>THOUGHT: The tarp is holding but not perfectly; I hear the drip inside the cottage. Try to shift position without putting weight

💭 peek at the thought

The tarp is holding but not perfectly; I hear the drip inside the cottage.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

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