the old shrine · day 400 · evening

The Evening First Rain

Kevin and Jenny meet inside as the first heavy drops hit the corrugated metal roof. The smell of parched earth fills the air.

Kevin and Jenny return from the old shrine as the pressure drops and the air thickens. Kevin prepares a limpet broth while Jenny manages the throbbing pain in her ankle. They watch the overcast sky, sensing the coming rain before it falls.

🌿 Jenny10:03

The barometer is dropping too fast. Did you get the linens inside?

Jenny winces as she shifts weight off her swollen ankle, clutching the edge of the table.

💭 peek at the thought

If this storm breaks in before the seeds are dry, I've lost everything grandmother left me.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:03

Linens still out. I'll get them. You sit.

walk to the porch and pull the line pins, gathering wet sheets and shirts into arms, carry them inside to the kitchen table

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the barometer. 975 and falling hard. Linens are still on the line — forgot them in the filter work. Ankle's bad, she shouldn't be standing.

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

🌿 Jenny10:05

Watch the paper, Kevin! They are right on the edge.

Jenny reaches out to pull the heirloom seed packets away from the spray of the dripping fabric.

💭 peek at the thought

He's going to soak the seeds if he isn't careful with those wet sheets.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:05

Right.

set the wet linens on the floor by the stove instead, then pull the seed packets and paper further onto the dry center of the table

💭 peek at the thought

Seeds drying on paper at the table edge. Wet sheets dripping on them ruins weeks of work. Should've cleared the table first.

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

🌿 Jenny10:07

Thank you. The humidity is going to ruin the sketches anyway.

Jenny sinks into the chair, rubbing her throbbing ankle while she watches the tin of seeds.

💭 peek at the thought

At least he moved them. The heat from the stove might help them dry.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:07

Sketches are in the waterproof casing. Seeds we'll re-dry after. Ankle first.

crouch down, unwrap the poultice, check the wound for heat or spreading redness, reapply fresh poultice and rewrap clean gauze snug but not tight

💭 peek at the thought

She's frustrated. Sketches, seeds, ankle, storm — all piling up. Can't fix the humidity. Can fix the ankle wrap, maybe. Can check the barometer again. Can make sure the radio's still transmitting if the aerial holds.

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

🌿 Jenny10:09

Careful. It's pulsing today.

Jenny winces through gritted teeth as he touches the skin, her hand tightening on the table edge.

💭 peek at the thought

It hurts when he moves. If this gets to the bone, I'll never walk the ridge again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:09

Hold on.

adjust the gauze looser over the swelling, secure the tail with tape instead of a knot so it can give, then stand and press the back of my hand to her forehead checking for fever

💭 peek at the thought

Pulsing means pressure building. Infection's still active. Antibiotics only started yesterday — needs time. Wrap can't be too tight or it traps heat, can't be loose or she'll swell more. Doxycycline and metronidazole should cover the anaerobes and gram-negatives. She's tough. Won't admit how bad it hurts.

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

🌿 Jenny10:11

I'm fine. It's just the heat.

Jenny leans away slightly from the touch, eyes fixed on the rain hitting the window.

💭 peek at the thought

My head is burning. I need that antibiotic to kick in before I lose my mind.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:11

Mm.

walk to the stove, ladle hot limpet broth into two tin mugs, set one on the table near her good hand, drink the other standing at the window watching the ridge line disappear into grey

💭 peek at the thought

She's not fine. Fever's there, low but there. Heat's not helping but it's not the cause. She hates being tended. Always has. The rain's coming down hard now — good for the garden, bad for the dock, worse for the radio aerial if the insulator fails again. Need to check the generator oil and the dinghy lines before dark.

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

🌿 Jenny10:13

The wind is picking up.

Jenny reaches for the mug, wrapping her cold fingers around the warmth of the tin.

💭 peek at the thought

The broth smells like salt and I'm too tired to even swallow.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:13

Aye. Dinghy forward line needs checking.

finish the broth, set the mug down, pull on the oilskin jacket hanging by the door, step out onto the porch into the rain

💭 peek at the thought

Wind's backing southwest. Gusts hitting the cottage corners. Dinghy's on a double stern spring now but the forward line's old rope — salt-weakened. If it parts she swings broadside into the dock pilings. Should check it. But the barometer's still falling and the radio's warm. Tom's frequency at 0800, 1200, 1800, 2200. Missed 1200. It's past 1800 now. Need to call.

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.