the keeper's cottage · day 544 · afternoon

The Afternoon Dold

The rain continues to pour from the west as afternoon progresses, keeping the interior of the cottage damp and cooling.

The warm rain patters rhythmically against the cottage roof, the smell of damp earth heavy in the air. Inside, the tide is receding, exposing the slick rocks of the tide pools beyond the shore. Jenny lies on the bed, her breathing shallow as the fever climbs and the red line tracks sluggishly toward her knee.

🔧 Kevin09:03

Kevin — walk to the bedroom doorway and stand there a moment, listening

💭 peek at the thought

The rain's not letting up. Good for the tank, bad for the radio aerial tape. Jenny's been quiet too long — either sleeping hard or hurting worse than she's saying. Need to check the dressing again before dark.

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

🌿 Jenny09:05

I'm awake, Kevin.

Reach out to pull the damp sheets over my legs, wincing as the movement flares the swollen ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's standing there again, waiting for me to say something or maybe just stop dying.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:05

How's the pain? Straight scale, one to ten.

step into the bedroom, reach for the clean gauze and antibiotic cream on the bedside table

💭 peek at the thought

She's up. That's something. The wince tells me plenty — ankle's still angry, probably throbbing with the barometric pressure dropping. Sheets are damp from the humidity; she'll chill if she stays under them wet.

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

🌿 Jenny09:06

Six. Maybe way when I move it.

Bite my lip to keep from groaning, watching the red line creep closer to my knee.

💭 peek at the thought

If I say eight, he'll call the mainland and the boat will come early.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:06

Alright. Let me look.

sit on the edge of the bed, gently peel back the gauze from her ankle and calf, turning the lamp brighter

💭 peek at the thought

Six moving is bad. Red line tracking toward the knee means the lymphatics are involved. We're past the window where oral antibiotics alone cut it — but it's all we've got. Four doses of doxycycline left, four metronidazole. Need to re-dress, mark the line again, see if it's advanced since this morning.

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

🌿 Jenny09:08

Be careful, it's tender.

Lean back against the pillows, breathing shallow as the cool air hits the infection.

💭 peek at the thought

It's moving fast. I can feel the heat radiating off the skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:08

It's up near the knee. I'll re-do the poultice, then dress it tight. We'll mark it again so we can see if it's moving tonight.

lift Jenny's leg slightly, support it under the knee, and begin cleaning the area with clean gauze and warm water from the basin

💭 peek at the thought

Skin's hot, taut. Red line's definite — just below the knee now, maybe half a finger's breadth from the patella. Edges are blurred, not sharp like cellulitis should be. Could be tracking fast under the skin. Poultice helped draw yesterday, but it's not holding the line.

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

🌿 Jenny09:10

Mark it high. I don't want to lose track.

Close my eyes and flinch as the warm water touches the inflamed skin.

💭 peek at the thought

If it hits the joint, I won't be able to walk to the radio.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:10

Got it. Holding still.

finish cleaning, pat dry with clean gauze, apply fresh sea beet and mint poultice, wrap firmly with clean gauze, then cap the pen and draw a sharp line on her skin at the highest point of the redness

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — mark it high, mark it clear. If the line jumps past the mark while we sleep, we know. Pen's on the table. Clean the wound first, then the poultice, then the pen line at the leading edge. Hands steady. She's watching me work; don't let her see worry.

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

🌿 Jenny09:12

Is it too tight? I need to be able to breathe.

Rest my hand on my stomach, watching the pulse in my neck.

💭 peek at the thought

The line is so close to the knee already. I can feel the heat working.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:12

It's not tight. Toes pink, pulse good. You're breathing fine.

check her toes for colour and capillary refill, then rest a hand on her ankle above the wrap — steady, not squeezing — and reach for the antibiotic blister packs on the table

💭 peek at the thought

Wrap's firm but not cutting circulation — toes are pink, pulse present. She's not talking about the wrap. She's talking about the fear. Pulse in her neck jumping. Fever's still riding her. Antibiotics take time; we're in the wait now.

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🌿 Jenny09:14

Give them to me. I want to sleep.

Reach for the glass of water, watching him with the pills.

💭 peek at the thought

The fever is making my head swim. If these don't work, the seeds will never grow.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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