the dock · day 970 · dawn

The Arrival's Shadow

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock, watching the horizon for the first sign of the supply boat. The air is heavy with humidity, and the tide laps rhythmically against the newly reinforced pilings.

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock at dawn, discussing the supply boat's expected arrival in four days. Kevin checks the integrity of the dock and the mooring ring while Jenny heads to secure the garden tarps before the humidity increases further.

🌿 Jenny07:17

Any sign of them yet?

Shift weight slowly to the left leg, leaning heavily on the walking cane.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is screaming. I can't stand still for this long, but I don't want to be the one to break the silence first.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin07:17

Tomorrow high tide. Captain confirmed on 2182. Two-hour window.

glance at the horizon, then at her ankle, shift weight to take some of hers without saying

💭 peek at the thought

Barometer's holding 1020 and rising. Supply boat confirmed for tomorrow high tide, two-hour window. Today's just waiting and watching. Her ankle's bad — she shouldn't be standing on the dock this long.

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

🌿 Jenny07:18

I know what the log says, Kevin.

Lean into him slightly, just for a second, before straightening up.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying. In his own stunted, mechanical way, he's trying to be kind. It almost makes me want to cry, which only makes me want to pull away.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin07:18

Didn't say you didn't.

turn back to the water, hand resting on the new mooring ring bolt, watching the swell direction

💭 peek at the thought

She's reminding me she's not helpless. Or reminding herself. The lean lasted half a second — longer than she meant it to.

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

🌿 Jenny07:20

The swell is coming in from the northeast. They'll have a rough approach.

Look out at the horizon, squinting against the grey light.

💭 peek at the thought

He's retreating back into the hardware. It's easier for him to talk to a bolt than to me.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin07:20

They'll come in slow. Captain knows the cut.

scan the northeast horizon, one hand shading eyes against the glare, other hand still near the mooring ring

💭 peek at the thought

She's read the water right. Northeast swell means they'll be pitching hard on the approach, coming in bow-first to the dock. The new pilings will take it, but the boat's fenders will work overtime. She knows this water better than she lets on.

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

🌿 Jenny07:22

Let's hope. I don't think I can handle another 'missed window' this month.

Grip the handle of the walking cane tighter, watching the water lap at the dock planks.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so certain of the Captain's competence. I wish he were that certain about us.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin07:22

They'll be here. Confirmed.

step closer to the seaward edge, boots finding the worn grip on the new greenheart plank, listening for an engine beneath the swell

💭 peek at the thought

Last month they missed the window entirely — weather turned, boat couldn't cross. We ate tinned beans and limpets for six extra days. She's not talking about food. She's talking about the letters. The antibiotics. The impeller. The parts that keep this place running. The parts that keep her running.

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

🌿 Jenny07:25

I need to check the garden tarp corners before the swell gets worse.

Start walking toward the cottage, cane tapping a steady rhythm on the dock planks.

💭 peek at the thought

Confirmed. Always confirmed. Even when everything else falls apart.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin07:25

Windward side first. Crabs got the stakes.

watch her go, wait until she's clear of the dock's edge before turning back to the water, one hand on the radio at my belt

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving slow but she's moving. The tarp corners held last storm but the coconut crabs shredded the anchor points on the windward side. She knows. She checked them yesterday. She's checking them again because waiting on the dock does something to a person — makes the horizon feel like a promise you can't keep.

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.