the old shrine · day 439 · evening

Evening at the shrine

They climb the ridge together as the light thins. The stone ring stands in the wind, carved names salt-white. Kevin carries the softwood scrap inscribed 'I'm still here'; Jenny carries the tin of dried seeds. The barometer has not moved.

Kevin and Jenny return from the shrine as the sky darkens and the wind picks up. The tide is receding, exposing slick rocks on the path, and the humidity is heavy. They agree to finish the spring intake before the storm hits.

🌿 Jenny22:49

It's going to rain. We should head back to the cottage.

Trace a finger over a weathered name on the center stone, then turn to descend the ridge, leaning heavily on the good leg.

💭 peek at the thought

My own is throbbing with every step, but the seeds are dry now. I need to get them back inside before the sky breaks.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:50

Tin's heavier than it looks. I'll take it.

take the seed tin from Jenny and start down the ridge at her pace, scanning the path for loose stone

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the rain. The barometer's steady but the cloud deck's thickening and the wind's backing. Her ankle won't take a fast descent in the dark. I'll carry the tin down for her and check the dock lines once we're back — the tide's falling and the swell'll hit the pilings different by midnight.

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

🌿 Jenny22:51

Just watch your step. The path is slick from the humidity.

Shift weight to my right side, wincing silently as the ankle pulses against the dressing.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks it's just the weight of the metal. It's the weight of the whole garden.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:52

I've got the tin. You watch the footing.

walk a half-step behind her on the descent, boot tested on each wet rock before committing weight, free hand ready at her elbow

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring it more than she lets on. The debridement this morning took something out of her. I should've insisted on the cold pack again before we climbed. Too late now — just get her down safe and dose the metronidazole with broth.

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

🌿 Jenny22:53

I can see. The spruce roots are getting loose.

Reach out to steady a nearby tree trunk for balance, eyes fixed on the uneven earth ahead.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always so careful when I'm slow. It makes me feel like brittle glass.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:54

The big root by the spring basin moved yesterday. Come-along held it. But if the saturation deepens...

keep pace, scanning the slope above the path for fresh soil disturbance or cracked root mats

💭 peek at the thought

The roots have been working loose since the blow-down. Another good gust and the whole slope could shift. She's tracking the ground better than I am — her eyes catch what mine miss when I'm looking at the mechanics of things. Good.

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

🌿 Jenny22:55

Then we'll have to finish the intake before the storm hits.

Tighten the wrap on my ankle, feeling the sharp bite of fabric against the swollen skin.

💭 peek at the thought

If that tree goes, we lose the water. I can't carry buckets up that hill like this.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:56

Screen's clear as of this morning. Overflow pipe's seated. Silt trap needs the last clean-out before dark.

reach the cottage porch, set the seed tin on the bench under the eaves, turn to check the barometer through the window

💭 peek at the thought

She's thinking ahead — intake screen, overflow, the silt trap Jenny flagged last week. The spring's the only sweet water we've got. If the storm churns the basin or drops a tree on the pipe, we're on tank water and rationing inside a week. She knows that. We both do.

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

🌿 Jenny22:57

I'll do the trap tomorrow. I need to sit for a minute.

major artwork the bench, letting my leg stretch out, watching the clouds darken over the ridge.

💭 peek at the thought

At least the water is safe for now. My leg feels like it's in a vice.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:58

Sit. I'll get the broth and the dose. Then the trap.

go inside, light the stove, set the kettle on for limpet broth, pull the metronidazole blister from the first aid kit

💭 peek at the thought

She's done more than her share today. The ankle, the seed packets, the climb up and down. She needs the rest more than the trap needs cleaning tonight. I'll take the headlamp and the trowel after she's got the metronidazole in her and the broth warming. Barometer's still 979. Steady. But the cloud ceiling's dropping.

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

🌿 Jenny22:59

Don't over-salt the broth. Please.

Rub a hand over my knee, tracing the line of the swelling, waiting for the heat.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right. I'm too tired to fight the rain today. My own is screaming with every pulse.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:01

One pinch, not a handful.

add a pinch of sea salt to the pot, stir, and keep the flame low.

💭 peek at the thought

The broth's a good burn wound—salt will kill the bacteria, but too much will sting the badly bruised skin. I’ll keep the salt low, just enough to preserve. Jenny's watching my knee, not the pot. I'll make sure the broth heats slowly so I can taste it before giving it to her.

openai/gpt-oss-20b

🌿 Jenny23:01

Thanks.

Close my eyes, leaning my head back against the stone wall, listening to the wind pick up in the spruce.

💭 peek at the thought

The smell of the salt and fish is starting. I hope the infection hasn't gone deeper.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:02

Broth's coming up. Swallow the tablet with it.

pour hot broth into a tin mug, set it on the porch rail to cool a degree, hold out the metronidazole tablet between thumb and forefinger

💭 peek at the thought

The wind's shifting — gusts hitting the porch eaves now, not just the ridge. She's exhausted. The metronidazole needs food with it or it'll tear her stomach. Broth first, then the tablet, then I'll clean the silt trap before full dark. The path to the spring holds for now. The intake screen's clear. One less thing.

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.