the keeper's cottage · day 544 · dawn

Morning Rain and Seed Soak

Steady rain drums against the plastic tarp covering while the water tank reaches its overflow lip. Jenny sits on the bench, soaking her ankle in a vinegar-cloth while Kevin inspects the Yanmar engine housing for salt leaks.

Kevin spends the morning securing the dock mooring ring to ensure stability for the upcoming supply boat arrival. Jenny stays inside the cottage, managing her fever and starting her antibiotics while the rain continues to fall.

🔧 Kevin08:32

Overflow's holding. For now.

wipe hands on rag, walk to porch bench, crouch beside Jenny's ankle, peel back vinegar cloth to inspect red line progression, mark new edge with pen, check temperature with back of hand against her calf

💭 peek at the thought

The tank's full — good. But the overflow's still weeping at the joint I epoxied last week. Rain's steady enough to test it. Jenny's ankle looks worse in this light; the red line's crept another centimetre past last night's pen mark. She's not saying how much it hurts. That worries me more than if she was complaining.

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

🌿 Jenny08:33

Don't touch the line, it's burning. I need to take the second dose before the boat comes.

Wince as his hand brushes the skin, reach for the antibiotic bottle on the side table, swallow the pill with a grimace of lukewarm water.

💭 peek at the thought

The fever is moving faster than the antibiotics are fighting. If it hits the knee, the seeds are never going.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:34

Water's in the mug. I'll check the dock ring while the tide's still out. Back before the boat window.

set vinegar cloth back over ankle, rise, grab crowbar and mallet from porch, walk to dock, inspect mooring ring mortise, drive oak wedges deeper with mallet, test ring under tension with come-along, mix last epoxy for mortise seal

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Should've known better than to touch it. The heat coming off that line — it's not just local anymore. She's taking the metronidazole without me telling her to. Good. Means she's tracking the schedule better than I am.

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

🌿 Jenny08:35

Be careful with the swell. Don't stay out long if the wind picks up.

Lean back against the stone wall, pull the notebook onto my lap, start sketching the sea beet's salt glands despite the shaking hands.

💭 peek at the thought

He's fixing the world while I'm rotting on the inside. The red is an inch higher than yesterday.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:36

Won't. Radio's on channel sixteen if anything changes.

secure last wedge, brush epoxy into mortise gaps, wipe excess, pack tools, walk back toward cottage, pause at garden to check tarp corners, enter kitchen, set kettle on stove for hot water bottle

💭 peek at the thought

She's drawing with shaking hands. That's not the cold. The metronidazole's hitting empty stomach. Or the infection's winning. Either way, she's still logging salt glands while her leg burns. Stubborn in the way that keeps people alive.

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

🌿 Jenny08:37

Bring the kettle when you come in. I need heat for the ache.

Watch the rain blur the island, tracing the path of the red infection on my skin with a trembling finger.

💭 peek at the thought

The heat in my leg is a physical weight now. If I can't get to the garden, the seeds just stay in the tin own.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:38

It's on. Two minutes.

lift kettle off stove, wrap handle in cloth, carry to porch, set beside her on bench, sit on edge, pull medical kit close, count remaining blister packs again, check watch for next dose time

💭 peek at the thought

Kettle's already on. She doesn't need to ask. The tremor in her finger — she's tracking the spread herself now. Counting centimetres like I counted RPMs on the Yanmar. We're both watching gauges climb into red.

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

🌿 Jenny08:39

I know how many are left, Kevin.

Reach for the water bottle, wince as the movement brushes the infection, take the antibiotic with a dry swallow.

💭 peek at the thought

He's counting the pills with me. I can feel the pulse in my calf like a drummer under the skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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