the keeper's cottage · day 926 · evening

Evening assessment

Kevin returns from the dock as the light fades. The tide is beginning to turn, and the air is heavy with the coming rain.

Kevin arrives early with news that the supply boat is two days ahead of schedule. Jenny is immobile due to the pain in her ankle, so Kevin treats the wound while they discuss the boat's arrival.

🔧 Kevin10:54

Boat's early. Two days. You hear the engine?

Walk up from the dock to the cottage porch, wipe hands on trousers, push the door open.

💭 peek at the thought

Three planks down. The rot goes deeper than the chalk marks. Greenheart's holding but I'm burning daylight and the tide's coming in. Need to check Jenny's ankle before full dark.

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

🌿 Jenny10:55

I heard it. I'm not moving.

Wince as I shift my weight, clutching the swollen skin of my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

Two days early? I don't have the supplies ready, and my leg is screaming.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:57

Let me see.

Cross the kitchen doorway, sit on the floor beside her, pull her boot off carefully, inspect the red line extending past the knee, check for spreading warmth.

💭 peek at the thought

The poultice failed. She's in real trouble, but won't ask for help even now.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🌿 Jenny10:57

It's throbbing, Kevin. The poultice is just mess.

own through gritted teeth as he peels the fabric away, watching the angry, red skin.

💭 peek at the thought

It's worse than I thought; the sea beet didn't even touch this.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:58

How long since the last dose?

Peel the gauze back slow, clean the wound edges with saline from the half-full bottle, reapply fresh sea beet-mint-honey poultice, wrap tight with clean gauze from the kit.

💭 peek at the thought

Red line's past the knee. That's blood poisoning territory. We're down to two doxycycline and four metronidazole from the buried cache. She needs the rest of the course and we don't have it. Supply boat's two days out — if it comes.

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

🌿 Jenny10:59

Morning. It didn't help a thing.

Bite my lip as the cold saline hits the raw skin, leaning back against the stone wall.

💭 peek at the thought

This morning. The salt water is Making me feel every pulse in the bone.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:00

Take the next doxy now. Then the metronidazole. Both together.

Hand her the blister packs and the tin mug of lukewarm water from the table, prop her leg up on the rolled blanket, pull the wool blanket over her shoulders.

💭 peek at the thought

Morning dose means twelve hours on the doxycycline. Fever's climbing. She's tough but the infection's winning. Two days to the boat — if it shows. Need to get the rest of the antibiotics into her and keep the leg elevated. The dock can wait.

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

🌿 Jenny11:01

I know.

swallow the pills with a shaky hand, watching the rain lashes against the window.

💭 peek at the thought

If I can't get to the ridge, I'll never find the soil. The seeds will rot here.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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