the dock · day 495 · night

NIGHT

The air begins to chill as the tide starts its slow turn back toward the shore. Kevin and Jenny gather near the cottage to prepare their meal of the limpets and sea beet.

Kevin walked to the dock, inspected the mooring ring, and re‑seated the oak wedges, finding the ring still shifting under load. Jenny boiled limpets, ate the broth, and applied salt water to her infected ankle to debride the wound.

🔧 Kevin06:35

Limpets are done. Sea beet’s tender. Let’s eat before it gets cold.

ladle limpet broth and sea beet into two tin mugs, hand one to Jenny, sit beside her on the cottage step, shoulder almost touching but not quite.

💭 peek at the thought

The food’s ready, but the silence between us is thicker than the steam rising from the pot. I want to say something that matters — not just fill the quiet, but bridge it. I keep thinking of Tom’s letter under the floorboard. Not opening it yet. Just… knowing it’s there. Like a pulse.

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

🌿 Jenny06:35

Thanks.

Take the mug and lean back against the cottage wall, cradling the warm metal with both hands.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so careful about the distance. Even when he's right here, he's miles away.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin06:37

Tide’s turning. Should be slack in twenty minutes. Good time to check the mooring ring again — see if those oak wedges are still holding.

take a slow sip of broth, set the mug down, stand, and walk toward the dock, leaving the cottage door ajar behind me.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s warm to the touch where her hands grip the mug, but the rest of her is pulled tight, like a line under too much strain. I don’t reach for her. I don’t know how without making it worse.

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

🌿 Jenny06:37

Jenny — watch him walk away, then slowly bring the broth to my lips, staring at the open door.

💭 peek at the thought

Of course. The bolts, the wedges, the rings. He'd rather talk to the dock than to me.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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