the keeper's cottage · day 912 · afternoon

Preparing for the Arrival

Kevin and Jenny sit in the cottage as the heavy air hangs motionless. They review the list to ensure everything is ready for the boat's approach the next morning.

The air is heavy and still as the flat sky thickens with clouds, the humidity rising in the 32°C heat. Kevin and Jenny focus on essential maintenance, ensuring the cottage's water supply and the garden wall are secure as they prepare for the supply boat's arrival in two days.

🌿 Jenny11:42

I'm too hungry to think straight. Did we actually check the dock lines, or are we just pretending they're secure?

Lean back against the whitewashed wall and rub my throbbing ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't focus on a list. My stomach is cramping and this silence between us is louder than the radio static.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin11:42

Bow line's good. Stern spring showed wear at the chock. Want me to check it now while there's light?

walk to the porch door and look out at the dock

💭 peek at the thought

She's right to ask. The chafe guard on the bow line held last storm but the stern spring took a beating. Should verify before dark.

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

🌿 Jenny11:44

It's 32 degrees and the sky is bruising, Kevin. Just leave it. If the spring snaps, we'll hear it.

Close my eyes and lean my head back against the stone.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying to be useful. He's always trying to be useful when he doesn't know how to be present.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin11:44

Fair enough. Water's on the stove if you want tea.

pour two mugs from the kettle and set one on the table beside her

💭 peek at the thought

She's exhausted and the heat's making everything worse. The spring can wait until morning — but I'll check it at first light regardless.

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

🌿 Jenny11:47

Thanks.

Reach for the mug but don't drink, just wrap my fingers around the warm metal.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks a cup of tea fixes the fact that we're barely speaking. I can't even look at him right now.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin11:47

Kevin — sit opposite her with my own mug, watching the steam rise in the still air

💭 peek at the thought

She's running on fumes. The ankle, the heat, the waiting — all of it stacking up. I'll let her sit quiet.

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

🌿 Jenny11:48

Jenny — stare fixedly at the rusted seed tin on the hearth, ignoring him.

💭 peek at the thought

He's just staring. I can feel him watching me, waiting for me to say something, to be the one to break the tension. I won't.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin11:48

Kevin — take a slow sip of tea, letting the silence stretch, not pressing

💭 peek at the thought

She's fixed on the tin. Not the garden, not the boat — that tin. The one from the cliffs. She hasn't opened it since we brought it down.

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

🌿 Jenny11:51

Jenny — trace the rust on the tin with my thumb, focusing on the cold metal.

💭 peek at the thought

At least he's quiet for once. My stomach is growling so loud I'm embarrassed he can hear it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:51

Kevin — set my mug down and get up to check the radio log on the shelf, giving her space

💭 peek at the thought

Whatever's in that tin means something to her. Seeds, maybe. Or just the weight of it — another thing the island gave up. I've learned not to ask until she's ready.

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.