the dock · day 519 · dawn

The Rising Saltwater

The steady rain continues to drum against the corrugated roof as the tide begins to lap the lower dock pilings. Kevin checks the tension on the mooring line of the dinghy, while Jenny sits on a bench, soaking her ankle in a basin of warm salt water.

The rain continues its steady, rhythmic drumming against the cottage roof as the tide reaches its peak. The water now laps at the third piling of the dock, threatening to submerge the deck boards within minutes. Inside, Jenny sits on the bench, her ankle wrapped in fresh gauze, as she watches the rising water with a mixture of pain and focus.

🌿 Jenny06:11

The tide is coming in fast, Kevin. Check the cleat again.

Winces as the salt hits the raw skin, reaches for the pencil to resume the sea beet sketch.

💭 peek at the thought

If that water rises any higher, the dock is going to take a way and those rotten planks are like wet cardboard.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:12

Cleat’s holding. I’ll run a second turn around the bitt just in case the surge picks up.

walk to the cleat, take the mooring line’s bitter end, wrap it once more around the bitt in a figure-eight, pull tight, and secure with a clove hitch. Then return to the dock edge and watch the line’s tension as the tide lifts the pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

The mooring line’s tension feels right, but I’ll double-check the cleat before the tide lifts the dinghy off its blocks. Jenny’s ankle’s raw—salt’s helping clean it, but it’s biting. She’s sketching again; that means she’s holding on.

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

🌿 Jenny06:12

Thank you.

Carefully lifts ankle out of the basin and reaches for the clean gauze.

💭 peek at the thought

He's obsessing over the rope while my leg is pulsing in time with the rain. I can't focus on the margins of the leaf with this throbbing.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin06:14

Here’s the gauze. Let me know if you want it tighter or looser.

reach into the first aid kit on the bench, pull out the clean gauze roll, and place it gently in Jenny’s open palm, then step back slightly to give her space to work.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s drying her ankle now—skin’s probably pink from the soak, raw edges still tender. She’s reaching for the gauze, which means she’s about to rewrap it herself. I should hand it to her, keep my movements quiet, let her do it her way.

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

🌿 Jenny06:15

I've got it.

Wraps the gauze firmly around the swelling, fingers trembling slightly as she avoids the rawest edges.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks I'm fragile today. I'm just trying to finish this sketch before the light fails.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:16

It looks snug. Let it breathe a minute before you put the sock on.

stay where I am, hands loose at my sides, watching her finish the wrap without speaking, ready to pass the antibiotic cream if she asks for it.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s wrapping it firm—good pressure to keep the swelling down, but her fingers are trembling. She’s avoiding the worst of the raw spots, which means it’s still tender underneath. She doesn’t want help, but I can stay close in case she needs it.

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

🌿 Jenny06:17

Just a minute.

Props her leg up on the crate, watching the water rise against the wood of the dock.

💭 peek at the thought

If the infection hits the bone, I won't be able to walk to the north ridge. I need those seeds planted.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:18

Tide’s up to the third piling now. If it keeps this pace, it’ll be under the deck boards in twenty minutes.

remain standing beside the bench, shoulders relaxed, eyes on the water where it meets the wood, waiting for her to speak or move.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s propped her leg up—smart, lets gravity drain some of the fluid. She’s watching the tide creep up the dock pilings, same as I was doing earlier. The water’s lapping the lower now, steady rain still falling. She’s quiet, but she’s not shutting me out—she’s just in her own head with the water and the pain.

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

🌿 Jenny06:19

I see it.

Picks up the pencil and tries to shade the salt way on the sea beet, ignoring the throb in her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The water is rising faster than the charts predicted. If the own goes, the dinghy is lost.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:20

Want me to mix up another poultice? The mint and sea beet mix from yesterday’s still in the jar.

stay where I am, not moving toward the cottage unless she answers, just listening to the rain on the roof and the soft scrape of her pencil on paper.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s trying to focus on the sketch—shading the salt crystals on the sea beet leaf—but her ankle’s throbbing underneath the gauze. She’s ignoring it, pushing through like she always does. The pencil’s moving, but I can see her jaw tighten slightly with each stroke.

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

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