the dock · day 526 · midday

Rising Tide and Persistent Rain

Kevin and Jenny meet at the dock as the rain intensifies slightly. The supply boat is still eight days away, and the barometer continues to drop.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🔧 Kevin13:33

You shouldn’t be out here in this. Let me take the water buckets back to the cottage.

Walk up to Jenny, take the two full water buckets from her hands, and carry them toward the cottage steps, keeping my pace slow so she can follow without strain.

💭 peek at the thought

The rain’s picking up, and the pressure’s still falling. Jenny’s ankle’s worse today — she’s limping harder than yesterday. I want to say something that doesn’t sound like an excuse, but I don’t know how to fix this without making it about me.

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

🌿 Jenny13:35

I was just checking the planks, Kevin. The rot is getting worse.

Jenny wipes the damp hair from her eyes and follows him toward the cottage, limping slightly and favoring her good leg.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is throbbing with every step, and he is acting like I'm made of glass again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:35

You’ve been on your feet since dawn. Sit. I’ll check the planks myself — and I’ll bring you a dry shirt when I’m done.

Set the water buckets down just inside the cottage door, then turn and walk back toward the dock, moving quickly but carefully over the slick planks, eyes scanning for the worst of the rot as I go.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s downplaying it again — checking the planks when she can barely put weight on that ankle. She doesn’t want to be a burden, but she’s pushing herself past the point of sense. I should’ve stopped her sooner.

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

🌿 Jenny13:37

The planks are soft, Kevin. Don't put your weight on them.

Jenny sighs and sits heavily on the kitchen chair, watching him through the open door while she rubs her swollen own.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks a dry shirt will fix a structural failure. He doesn't see the wood turning mush.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:37

I’ll test them first — from the end, where it’s still solid. If they hold, I’ll work my way back. Stay here. I’ll shout if it goes.

Walk to the very end of the dock, where the pilings are still sound, and place one foot gently on the nearest plank, shifting my weight slowly to feel for give or flex before committing fully.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right — the planks are giving under my boots already. One wrong step and I’ll be in the drink, and then I’ll be useless for the rest of the day. I need to test them properly before I commit weight.

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

🌿 Jenny13:39

Look at the edges! The fibers are pulling away from the grain!

Jenny leans forward, her hands gripping the edge of the table as she watches him shift.

💭 peek at the thought

He's going to go through. The wood is like wet cardboard.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:39

It’s gone. The planks are shot from the mid-point out. I’ll come back and we’ll jury-rig a walkway from the shore — use the spare timber from the shed. No point risking it.

Shift my weight back onto the sound piling at the end, step off carefully onto the dry timber, and walk back toward the cottage, keeping close to the shore side where the wood is still intact.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s seeing what I’m feeling — the wood’s not just soft, it’s coming apart at the edges. This isn’t surface rot; it’s structural. If I keep walking out, I’ll break through and take a section with me. I need to stop before I make it worse.

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

🌿 Jenny13:41

Use the own. It won't rot as fast anyway.

Jenny stands up too quickly, winces as her ankle throbs, and moves to the doorway to watch him.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right. If he falls in the salt water, the infection will be the least of our problems.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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