the keeper's cottage · day 396 · night

DAY 396, NIGHT

You and Jenny sit together in the dim light, sharing the limpet broth while the tide laaps high against the dock pilings.

The night remains heavy and still, the heat of 28°C clinging to the cottage. Kevin applied the antibiotic cream to Jenny's swollen ankle, the skin hot and tight under his touch. Jenny finished the broth, the salt and fat providing a small warmth as they sat in the silence, save for the low hum of the radio equipment.

🔧 Kevin05:14

Eat it all. Don't leave the fat.

sip from the tin mug, watching her face in the lantern light

💭 peek at the thought

The broth's good — salty, rich with corned beef fat. She's eating. That matters more than the radio silence.

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

🌿 Jenny05:15

I know. It's warm.

Take a slow sip of the broth, wincing as the movement shifts the weight on my swollen ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks the calories will fix the heat in my bone, but the infection is already deep in the marrow.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:16

Ankle still hot?

set my mug down on the porch rail, reach for the clean cloth and antibiotic cream I left by her feet

💭 peek at the thought

She's hiding how much it hurts. The wince was quick but I've watched her move for eleven months — I know the difference between tired and hurt.

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

🌿 Jenny05:17

It's throbbbing. Just tight.

Lean back against the stone wall, closing my eyes as I wait for him to touch the area.

💭 peek at the thought

It feels like a coal is buried under the skin, pulsing with every heartbeat I have left.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:18

Let me see.

peel back the brace wrapping carefully, fingers light on the swollen skin above her ankle

💭 peek at the thought

Throbbing means pressure building. Could be the abscess reforming or the antibiotics not penetrating deep enough. Either way, she needs the dressing off and a proper look.

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

🌿 Jenny05:19

Be careful.

Hold my breath, fingers twitching against the fabric of the cot as he exposes the skin.

💭 peek at the thought

If he touches it too hard I might actually scream, and I won't allow that.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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