the keeper's cottage · day 442 · midday

Midday Tides Turn

The overcast sky remains oppressive as the pressure continues to drop. You meet in the cottage to discuss the next steps for the infection and the boat.

Kevin repaired the radio ground stake at the garden frame and transmitted a medevac request for Jenny's worsening ankle infection. Jenny stayed in the cottage, monitored her symptoms, and used heirloom seeds to soothe her fever. The radio contact was made, but no reply was received before the scene ended.

🌿 Jenny01:52

The infection is tracking up my leg, Kevin. I need to check the radio again; I can't wait two days.

sits on the edge of the bed, tracing the angry red streak on her ankle with a trembling finger.

💭 peek at the thought

The red line is moving. If I don't get antibiotics from the boat, I'm not going to be here to plant these seeds.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:53

Radio first. Ground stake at the garden frame — corroded, killing the signal. I'll fix it now. You stay off that leg.

walk to the garden frame to inspect and repair the radio ground stake

💭 peek at the thought

The red line's moved since morning. She's right to be scared. Two days for the supply boat assumes it comes on schedule — last three times it didn't. If the infection hits lymph nodes or bloodstream, we're past what doxycycline and metronidazole can handle. Radio's our only lever. Ground stake at the garden frame is corroded; transmission's weak. I can fix it, but tide's dropping and the transom gap won't wait. Need to choose.

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

🌿 Jenny01:53

It's not just the signal. My skin is literally hot.

reaches for the tin of heirloom seeds, clutching the cool metal against her cheek to soothe the fever.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks he can just bolt the world back together and the rot won't go away.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:55

Drink water. Now. Full mug. I'm fixing the ground stake — be back in fifteen with the radio up.

walk to the garden frame, pull the corroded ground stake, clean the contact points with the wire brush, drive in the spare copper-clad stake, run the heavy lead back to the radio shack, tighten the lug, key the mic on channel 16

💭 peek at the thought

Fever means systemic. Metronidazole covers anaerobes, doxy covers the rest, but if it's tracking this fast the dose may not be enough or the bug's resistant. She's burning through fluid. Needs cooling, hydration, and the radio working yesterday. Ground stake first — ten minutes, maybe fifteen. Then I key the mic on 16 and the trust frequency. If the boat's coming, they need to know it's medevac, not resupply.

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

🌿 Jenny01:55

fine. but if the way spikes, I'm calling anyway.

reaches for the water mug and takes a long, slow swallow, her eyes fixed on the red line climbing her skin.

💭 peek at the thought

He treats me like a faulty Yanmar engine that just needs a new gasket and a bit of oil.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:57

Fifteen minutes. Don't move.

drive the copper-clad ground stake deep at the garden frame, solder the heavy lead connection, run the cable to the radio shack, terminate at the antenna tuner, key the mic on channel 16

💭 peek at the thought

She'll call if I don't. Good. The mic's hot in my hand — haven't keyed it for anything but weather and position reports in weeks. Tom's frequency. 0400. The Fiji freighter answered last time. Tonight I say his name. First, ground stake. Copper-clad, eight foot, driven deep into wet sand below the garden frame. Heavy lead soldered at both ends. Barometer's 983 and steady but the swell direction's wrong for this pressure. Something's building.

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

🌿 Jenny01:57

I'm not going anywhere, Kevin.

lies back against the pillows, propping the ankle up, watching the pulse throb in the swelling.

💭 peek at the thought

Fifteen minutes is an eternity when your blood feels like it's trying to escape your skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:59

St. Mary's Coastguard, Sorrel Island. Patient conscious, alert, fever rising, red line tracking above ankle. On antibiotics forty-eight hours, no improvement. Request urgent medevac or supply boat diversion. Over.

hold the mic, wait for Coastguard reply, log the time and frequency in the notebook

💭 peek at the thought

Copper stake bites into wet sand. Good contact. Lead's heavy, solder holds. Cable run back to the shack — zip-tied to the garden frame posts, out of the tide line. Terminate at the tuner: clean the ring lug, cinch it down. Key the mic. Channel 16. Voice sounds strange in the speaker — mine, but not. "Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan. Sorrel Island keeper's cottage. Medical emergency. Female, 38, lower leg infection tracking proximal with fever. Request medevac or supply boat diversion. Position 49-12 North, 006-18 West. Over." Wait. Static. Then — "Sorrel Island, this is St. Mary's Coastguard. Received pan-pan. Confirm patient conscious? Over."

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.