the keeper's cottage · day 763 · afternoon

Waiting for the Tide

The tide continues to rise against the dock as Kevin prepares the dose of antibiotics for Jenny. They wait for the supply boat to arrive tomorrow.

The steady rain continues to fill the water tank to its maximum capacity. Kevin attempts to organize some of the cottage interior but struggles with the damp and fatigue, while Jenny meticulously documents the northern slope's drainage-affected zones.

🔧 Kevin03:07

Mug's on the table. Two pills. Wash it down.

set out the metronidazole tablet and doxycycline capsule beside her tin mug on the porch table

💭 peek at the thought

Barometer holding at 985. Boat's due high tide tomorrow. Need to get the antibiotics into her before the swell picks up — metronidazole's the last full dose, doxy's got two days left. She won't take them if I make a thing of it.

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

🌿 Jenny03:09

I see.

Jenny reaches for the pills, swallows them with a grimace of lukewarm water, and looks back out at the rain-slicked garden.

💭 peek at the thought

He talks like I'm a task to be checked off, not a person rotting alive.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:09

Radio schedule's 0600. I'll raise them for the ETA confirm.

turn back to the shortwave on the kitchen shelf, flip the power switch and let the tubes warm up

💭 peek at the thought

She took them without argument. That's something. Ankle's still hot to touch last I checked — metronidazole needs another day at least. Boat comes tomorrow if the barometer holds.

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

🌿 Jenny03:11

Don't forget the frequency.

Jenny pulls her sketchbook up to her lap, opening it to the page of the sea cave stability zones and begins to shade the cracks in the rock.

💭 peek at the thought

If the boat doesn't come tomorrow, I'll be out of clean water anyway.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:11

2182 to raise, 2638 to talk. Log's on the shelf.

pick up the microphone, press the PTT, and call "Coastal Supply, Coastal Supply, this is Sorrel Island Keeper, Sorrel Island Keeper, over"

💭 peek at the thought

2182 kHz for the initial call, then 2638 for working. Same as every week for eleven months. She knows it. I know it. The ritual steadies something.

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

🌿 Jenny03:13

Copy that.

Jenny pauses her pencil, listening to the hiss of the radio and the rain on the stone roof.

💭 peek at the thought

The static is always louder than the voice on these days.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:13

(into mic) Coastal Supply, Sorrel Island Keeper. Radio check. Over.

hold the mic off the hook, waiting, eyes on the S-meter needle

💭 peek at the thought

Static on the line. Tubes are warm. Give it a beat — skipper might be below decks or on the other set.

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

🌿 Jenny03:15

I'm still here.

Jenny shifts her weight, her ankle wincing as the poultice seeps through the bandage.

💭 peek at the thought

Just the wind and the waves talking back again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:15

(into mic) Coastal Supply, Coastal Supply, this is Sorrel Island Keeper. Radio check, over.

key the mic a second time, voice lower and deliberate, watching the meter for any kick

💭 peek at the thought

Needle's barely twitching. Propagation's poor — rain and the shattered aerial eating signal. Try again, slower. She's listening to the radio, not me.

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

🌿 Jenny03:17

Please come.

Jenny stops drawing, her pencil hovering over the sketch of the sea cave.

💭 peek at the thought

If they don't answer now, I'm just a ghost on this rock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:19

(into mic) Sorrel Island Keeper standing by 2182. Out.

replace the microphone, flip the power off, and pull the notebook from the shelf to log the failed contact

💭 peek at the thought

Still nothing. Skipper's either not monitoring or the aerial's deader than I thought. Barometer's steady though — boat'll come on the tide regardless. She's talking to the cave sketch, not the radio.

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

🌿 Jenny03:19

( way)

Jenny closes the notebook with a sharp thud and stares at the tin of seeds on the table.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is heavier than the rain.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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