the keeper's cottage · day 971 · afternoon

Waiting for the Tide

The wind picks up as the sun begins to dip. Kevin and Jenny meet in the kitchen to check the barometer once more.

Kevin spent the afternoon re-sealing the leaking diesel can after the vibration caused the previous patch to fail. Jenny focused on treating her ankle, applying a fresh sea beet poultice while monitoring the barometer for the supply boat's arrival.

🌿 Jenny08:46

Still holding at 1016. At least the pressure isn't cratering.

Lean heavily against the counter and glance toward the window, watching the palms bend.

💭 peek at the thought

1016 and steady. It's not dropping, but the wind is getting aggressive. I can feel the pulse in my ankle matching the rhythm of the gusts.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:46

Wind's southeast. Swell'll build overnight. You should stay off it tomorrow.

check the barometer reading again, then move to the stove to lift the lid on the broth pot

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the ankle bad. The poultice isn't holding the line like I hoped. Three days until the boat and the infection's got time to dig deeper.

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

🌿 Jenny08:49

I'll try. But I need to finish the pH logs.

Wince slightly as I shift my weight, pulling my ankle up higher on the chair.

💭 peek at the thought

I know how to read a barometer, but the north ridge won't survey itself. If I stay in bed, the weeds win again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:49

Logs'll wait. Ankle won't. Debride and fresh poultice at first light. I'll do the garden rounds.

pour broth into a tin mug and set it on the table near her hand

💭 peek at the thought

She'll push through whatever it takes to finish those logs. Stubborn as the diesel engines I nurse along. The infection's tracking — I can see it in the way she breathes when she moves.

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

🌿 Jenny08:50

Thank you. Just... don't touch the tomato stakes. They're fragile.

Reach for the mug, fingers brushing against the warm tin.

💭 peek at the thought

He's treating me like a specimen. I appreciate the broth, but I hate the helplessness.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:50

Wouldn't dream of it.

pull out the chair opposite and sit, wrapping both hands around my own mug, steam rising

💭 peek at the thought

Tomato stakes. She notices everything growing, nothing dying. Even now.

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

🌿 Jenny08:52

It's too quiet in here, Kevin.

Take a slow sip of the broth, looking at him over the rim of the mug.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying. In his own mechanical, distant way, he's trying to be here. I want to say something real, something that isn't about stakes or pressure readings.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin08:52

Radio's working. Boat's coming.

take a slow drink, the broth hot and salty, good

💭 peek at the thought

Quiet. She means the radio. Means Tom. Means the static on 2182 at 0300 that answers nothing.

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.