the keeper's cottage · day 891 · afternoon

The Intruder in the Pantry

The rain howls against the shutters as the sound from the pantry turns into the frantic tearing of a burlap sack. Something is being dragged across the floor.

The warm rain persists through the afternoon, making the ground too slick for heavy outdoor work. Jenny manages her ankle in the cottage while the humidity stalls any effective wound care. Kevin focuses on preparing for the supply boat's arrival in three days.

🔧 Kevin08:24

Rat in the pantry. Flour sack.

Grab the heavy claw hammer from the belt loop, cross the kitchen in two strides, and yank the pantry door open.

💭 peek at the thought

Rat's in the larder again. Got through the burlap. Flour's gone if I don't move.

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

🌿 Jenny08:24

Don't just kill it—make sure it's actually dead.

Lean back against the table, clutching the edge to steady the throbbing in my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

Great. Just what I need. A pestilence to match the atmosphere.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:26

Standing back.

Swing the hammer down hard at the rat scrambling over the torn flour sack, aiming for the skull.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Wounded rat comes back smarter. Need a clean hit.

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

🌿 Jenny08:26

Jenny — turn my head away, staring fixedly at the rain streaks on the window.

💭 peek at the thought

That sound. The wet thud of it. I can't even look.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:28

Done. Flour's contaminated. Bag it for burning.

Scoop the rat into a newspaper sheet, wrap it tight, and toss it in the stove. Then pull the chewed flour sack off the shelf, roll the top down, and carry it out to the porch for the burn pile.

💭 peek at the thought

Clean hit. Rat's not moving. Flour's a write-off — salt and rat piss through the lot.

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

🌿 Jenny08:28

Thanks.

Slowly push myself away from the table, testing the weight on my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so efficient it's clinical. Like he's just clearing a snag in a line.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:30

Sit back down. I'll swap the dressing.

Cross to the medical kit on the high shelf, pull out the gauze roll, antiseptic cream, and the sea beet-mint poultice from the basin, then return to the table.

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving on it. Good. Ankle's holding weight. Still needs the poultice changed before night.

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

🌿 Jenny08:30

I can do it myself, Kevin.

Gently pull my leg up onto the chair, avoiding his reach.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't stand the way he looks at the wound—like it's just another broken part to be patched.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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