the keeper's cottage · day 833 · midday

Waiting for the tide

The air remains still and oppressive as the sun struggles behind the clouds. You and Jenny retreat inside, the frustration of the unfinished dock hanging in the air like the humidity.

Kevin tended to Jenny's infected ankle with fresh sea beet poultice and hot water, then stepped outside to secure the garden tarp corner before the wind rose. Jenny rested with the seed tin, too exhausted to sort seeds, while the barometer continued its steady fall.

🌿 Jenny01:07

I'm going to lie down. I can't look at the wood anymore today.

Sit on the kitchen chair, elevating the ankle on a stool, and stare at the tin of seeds.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is throbbing in time with the fever; if that boat doesn't come tomorrow, I'm going to lose it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:07

I'll put the kettle on. Change the dressing in twenty minutes.

walk to the wood stove, fill the kettle from the tank tap, set it to heat

💭 peek at the thought

The wood won't cooperate in this humidity. Neither will she. The seed tin's the only thing holding her attention — the one marked E, heavy with rust and whatever's inside. She's been staring at it for days. I should check the shortwave at 2000 like I said I would. Tom's frequency. Supply boat ETA. But first, the ankle needs another poultice change before dark.

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

🌿 Jenny01:09

Just don't be too loud. My head is spinning.

Close eyes and traces the rusted rim of the seed tin with a thumb.

💭 peek at the thought

Twenty minutes is never enough for a fever that feels this deep, but I'll take the quiet.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:09

Won't be.

take the kettle off the stove before it whistles, pour hot water into the tin mug, let it cool for the poultice

💭 peek at the thought

She's burning up. The infection's not done with her yet. Kettle'll boil soon — need clean cloth, more sea beet, honey if the jar's not empty. And the antibiotics. Five doses of metronidazole left. She needs rest more than she needs me clattering about.

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

🌿 Jenny01:11

Thank you.

Lean head back against the stone wall and listen to the rain start to tap the roof.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying, but the silence between us is as heavy as the damp air.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:11

Kevin — step out onto the porch, grab the wool blanket from the hook, bring it in and drape it over her shoulders without a word

💭 peek at the thought

Rain's early. Barometer was falling. Good for the tank, bad for the dock wood. She's shivering under the fever. Blanket's on the porch. Need to get it without waking her proper.

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.