the dock · day 578 · morning

Morning of the Crate

Kevin stands over the crate with the crowbar as the tide begins to turn back toward the shore.

Kevin and Jenny hauled the waterlogged crate from the surf onto the dock and carried it to the cottage porch just as a squall hit with heavy rain. The crate's lid was pried open enough to confirm dry tinned provisions and new rope inside, but they left it sealed against the weather. The dock planking was slick and the tide turned faster than expected.

🌿 Jenny22:14

Slow, Kevin. The wood is soft, it'll splinter into the seal.

Lean against the dock post, shifting weight off my ankle, and watch the crowbar bite into the wood.

💭 peek at the thought

If he pries it too fast, the salt water will get into the tin and ruin theization.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:15

Aye.

work the crowbar gently along the crate's lid seam, starting at a corner, letting the wood breathe before prying deeper

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The salt's eaten half the fibres — one wrong lever and I'll drive splinters straight into whatever's inside. I should work the edges first, let the air in slow.

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

🌿 Jenny22:15

watch the gap. If it's wet inside, we stop.

pull my notebook from my pocket, ready to sketch the moment the lid gives.

💭 peek at the thought

better than snapping the whole thing. I need to see if the seal held against the last surge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:17

If it's wet, we reseal and move it to the porch. Dry it slow.

keep working the crowbar along the seam, widening the gap a fraction at a time, watching for moisture or condensation on the inner wood

💭 peek at the thought

Wet inside means rot, mould, or worse — something that'll bloom spores the moment air hits it. She's thinking ahead. Good.

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

🌿 Jenny22:18

The tide is coming in faster than the forecast. We have maybe minutes before the dock is under.

Wince as the feverish throbbing in my ankle pulses with every wave against the jetty.

💭 peek at the thought

He's listening. For once, he's actually listening to the wood.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:19

Grab the other end. Porch. Now.

drop the crowbar, seize one end of the crate, and haul it up the jetty toward the cottage with Jenny taking the other end

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. The water's already licking the lower planks. If the swell picks up, this crate goes back in the drink — or takes the dock with it. Need to decide now: open it here and risk the tide, or drag it uphill and lose the light.

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

🌿 Jenny22:19

I have it. Watch the step!

Brace the weight against my good leg, biting my lip as the ankle screams under the strain.

💭 peek at the thought

If I drop this, the seeds are lost to the salt.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:21

You don't. I've got it. Walk ahead, clear the path.

shift grip to bear the crate's full weight myself, backing up the jetty slow and steady, letting Jenny hobble forward unburdened to hold the cottage door

💭 peek at the thought

She's white-knuckling it. The ankle's taking the full load on every step. If she goes down on these slick planks, the crate pins her. I need to take the weight — all of it — and she needs to let me.

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

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