the keeper's cottage · day 455 · night

Night watch and wound crisis

Rain lashes the cottage walls. Kevin stands dripping in the doorway, mallet in hand. Jenny sits at the kitchen table, ankle elevated on a chair, gauze wrap stained pink at the edges. The barometer needle hasn't moved. The wind howls around the eaves. A pot of limpet broth cools on the stove.

The rain continues its steady rhythmic drumming against the cottage roof as the night deepens. Kevin has meticulously applied the mint and saltwater poultice to Jenny's ankle, the cooling herbs drawing some of the heat from the inflamed skin. Jenny swallows the bitter tablet with a grimace, leaning back into the chair to wait for the medicine to take hold.

🌿 Jenny14:36

Close the door, Kevin. You're dripping everywhere.

Press a cold cloth to forehead and wince as the weight shifts on the leg.

💭 peek at the thought

The fever is coming back again, and the ankle feels like it's being held in pliers. If the boat doesn't come in nine days, I'm going to lose it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:36

Door's shut. How's the ankle?

Close the door behind me, set the mallet on the porch shelf, and cross to the table. Press the back of my hand to her forehead, then reach for the antibiotic blister pack on the counter.

💭 peek at the thought

She's burning up. The gauze is pink through and through — that's not healing, that's spreading. I should've made her take the second dose hours ago.

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

🌿 Jenny14:37

It's hot. The saline didn't help today.

Pull away from his hand and look down at the sketch of the sea beet.

💭 peek at the thought

It's pulsing. I can feel the heartbeat in my whole foot. He's looking at me like I'm a broken way.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:39

Fever's up. Let's get the meds in you and cool that leg. I'll redo the poultice with fresh mint and seawater — draw some of the heat out.

Open the antibiotic blister pack, take out the doxycycline tablet, and hand it to her with a tin mug of water. Then stand, fill the bucket at the rain tap, and head for the garden to pick a handful of fresh mint.

💭 peek at the thought

She's running a fever and she's pulling back — infection's winning. I need to get the second dose in her now, and I need to cool her down before it spikes.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny14:40

Be careful. It's tender.

Take the pill and swallow hard, then lean back against the chair.

💭 peek at the thought

He's trying to be helpful, but the skin is throbbing too loud. I just want the world to stop.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin14:41

We'll keep that on a steady rhythm. Try to stay still, and I'll keep the mint on. No more pulling at the gauze.

Kneel at the table, take the mint (two sprigs), crush it in my palm, and mix with a splash of warm seawater. Apply the mixture to the gauze around her ankle, ensuring it stays moist.

💭 peek at the thought

She looks relieved for a moment, but the skin still feels hot. I need to keep the wound moist and the infection from spreading. The mint poultice will give her some cooling relief, but I must also check the pressure and maybe adjust the gauze.

openai/gpt-oss-20b

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