the keeper's cottage · day 443 · morning

DAWN

The rain begins to taper into a drizzle, and the tide starts to turn outward.

The morning air is heavy as the pressure continues to drop, signaling an approaching storm before the supply boat arrives. Kevin checks the structural integrity of the dock repairs while Jenny focuses on de-salting the sketches and organizing the seeds.

🔧 Kevin02:43

Kevin — walk to the radio shelf and key the shortwave, speaking into the mic

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's turning. Slack water in twenty minutes, maybe less. That's the window for the mooring ring. Need to check the wedges held through high tide and drive the last two oak ones if there's play. Radio first — 0400 passed but I'll key it anyway. Tom's name. Just once.

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

🌿 Jenny02:43

Jenny — trace the red line on my leg with a trembling finger, wincing at the heat.

💭 peek at the thought

He's talking to the air again. The battery is dead, Kevin. You're just shouting into the static.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:45

Radio check. This is Sorrel Island. Receiving on 443. Tom — if you're out there — I'm still here.

release the mic and wait, listening to static

💭 peek at the thought

She's watching me. The leg's hot — infection tracking. She knows it. I know it. Radio first, then dock, then we deal with the leg proper. Metronidazole's in the kit. Doxy's started. Need both in her.

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

🌿 Jenny02:46

Jenny — push the sea beet sketches away from the edge of the table to keep them from the damp air.

flagged: repeated_opener

💭 peek at the thought

If the boat doesn't come tomorrow, I won't have the strength to walk to the dock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:47

Going to the dock. Slack water. Check the ring.

grab the mallet and two remaining oak wedges from the porch, head out to the dock

💭 peek at the thought

Nothing. Just static. Same as always. She's protecting the work — sketches, seeds, the things that matter. My leg throbs in time with the tide going out. Slack water coming. Dock won't wait.

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.