the keeper's cottage · day 981 · dawn

Supply boat morning

Grey light fills the kitchen as Kevin finishes the last of the coffee, the shortwave silent beside him after the 2182 check-in confirmed the boat for 0640 high tide. Jenny sits on the porch bench wrapped in the wool blanket, ankle propped on a driftwood splint, the fresh sea beet poultice steaming under clean gauze. The barometer reads 994 hPa steady, the tide falling, and the generator's diesel weep at the tank bracket marks the floor with a dark stain.

Kevin worked on the generator fuel line bracket at the dock during low tide while Jenny tended to her infected ankle at the cottage with salt water debridement and warm compresses.

🌿 Jenny04:55

The fuel line is weeping again, Kevin. Don't touch it.

Reaches for the tin of salt water, fingers trembling as she dips the wrapping into the basin.

💭 peek at the thought

If the boat doesn't come in three days, I'll have to cut the leg off myself with the garden shears.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:56

Boat's not today. Captain confirmed 0640 high tide — that's three dawns from now. Fuel line's holding. The weep's at the tank bracket, not the hose. I'll shim the bracket when the tide's out.

walk to the porch and set the empty tin mug beside her, then crouch to check the ankle dressing without touching it

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the fuel line — the marine-grade hose I installed is holding pressure, but the tank bracket rub point is a structural issue the line can't solve. Her fingers are trembling from more than cold; the metronidazole should've taken the edge off by now. Boat's three days out, not tomorrow. I heard the captain clear on 2182: 0640 high tide, medical crate, impeller. That's not today. She's conflating the confirmation with the arrival.

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

🌿 Jenny04:56

Don't touch it. Just get me the salt. It's burning.

Clenches her teeth as the salt water hits the raw skin, holding her breath while she tries to debride the edge.

💭 peek at the thought

Three days is a long time for an infection to find its way to the bone.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:58

Salt tin's on the shelf by the stove. I'll get it.

rise and walk to the kitchen shelf, retrieve the salt tin, and set it on the porch rail within her reach without touching her or the dressing

💭 peek at the thought

She's debriding it herself again. Salt water on raw tissue — she knows the protocol, but doing it alone with trembling hands means she doesn't trust me to be gentle, or doesn't want me to see. The infection's tracking. Metronidazole's been in her system six hours; should be hitting peak concentration. I keep my hands where she can see them.

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

🌿 Jenny04:59

Thank you.

Pours the salt into the basin, the grains catching the grey light as they fall.

💭 peek at the thought

The salt is going to sting through to the bone.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin05:00

Kettle's hot. Want me to warm the basin?

turn and walk back into the kitchen, lift the kettle from the wood stove, and pour a slow stream into the basin until the steam rises steady

💭 peek at the thought

She's making a fresh hypertonic soak. Smart — draws exudate, keeps the wound bed clean between poultices. The basin water's gone cold overnight. She'll need it warm for the osmotic pull to work right. I've got the kettle on the stove; can heat a mug and top it off without crowding her.

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

🌿 Jenny05:01

Yes. Thank you.

Dips her fingers into the basin, testing the temperature before carefully lifting the basin to her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

Warm salt water. At least that part of this will hurt right.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin05:02

I'll be at the dock if you need anything. Tide's low enough for the bracket.

step back from the porch rail, pull the heavy wrench from the hook by the door, and walk down the path toward the dock

💭 peek at the thought

She's got it. The warmth'll help the salt pull. Her color's better than yesterday — less grey under the eyes. The metronidazole's working. I should check the generator fuel line bracket while the tide's out; the rub point's accessible at low water. And the Yanmar impeller housing needs the shim measured before the boat arrives. But first, she needs space.

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.