the dock · day 963 · dawn

Pre-arrival preparations

Kevin and Jenny sit on the edge of the dock watching the tide begin to recede. Jenny keeps her ankle propped on a crate while Kevin checks the tension on the dinghy's storm lines.

Kevin checked the shortwave radio for the supply boat's position and weather update, finding only static and a faint carrier signal. Jenny applied a fresh sea beet poultice to her ankle wound and changed the dressing, noting reduced swelling but persistent heat. The supply boat was not yet visible on the horizon.

🌿 Jenny00:31

It's too quiet. Usually the gulls are screaming by now.

Lean back on my elbows and squint at the horizon, searching for the first smudge of the supply boat's smoke.

💭 peek at the thought

I can feel the hunger clawing at my stomach, making me lightheaded. I need to move, but the thought of the walk back to the cottage makes my ankle throb in anticipation.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:31

Barometer's holding. They'll make the bar if the wind doesn't clock southwest.

scan the horizon, one hand resting on the dinghy's bow line

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The gulls usually work the tide line at first light. Something's holding them offshore — maybe the same pressure system the coast guard warned about. My chest tightens scanning that horizon. Nine months of supply runs and I still hold my breath until I see smoke.

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

🌿 Jenny00:32

If they don't come, I'm eating those limpets raw.

Shift my weight slightly, wincing as the movement pulls at the gauze on my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always calculating the wind. I'm calculating the distance between my stomach and the first piece of protein I can find.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin00:32

You're not eating them raw. Pot's on the stove. I'll fire it up.

push off the dock planks, head toward the cottage

💭 peek at the thought

She's trying to make it light. The winch gives her away. That ankle's not right — the redness tracked past my mark overnight. She needs the antibiotics from the boat, and I need her to admit it's worse.

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

🌿 Jenny00:34

Bring me a cup of coffee first. Strong.

Watch him walk away, then slowly reach down to check the tension of the bandage on my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying to be the caretaker again. I can't even stand up without feeling like my leg is made of glass.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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