the keeper's cottage · day 585 · morning

Morning Preparation

The rising tide reaches the lower dock pilings as the clouds darken further, blocking out the morning sun.

The morning heat beats down on the cottage as the pressure continues to climb. Kevin checks the Yanmar's cold-start, ensuring the engine hums as he expected, while Jenny picks at the salt-heavy mackerel and limpets, her fever still making her movements sluggish and the sweat bead on her brow.

🌿 Jenny05:27

I'm starving.

Push myself up slowly from the cot and limp toward the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

My head is spinning. I can't even think about the seedlings if I can't get my blood sugar up.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin05:27

Corned beef and limpets. Coffee's hot.

set two tin mugs on the table, spoon fat and beans into each, slide the pot of boiled limpets between us

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving slow but she's moving. Ankle's holding. Good enough to eat.

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

🌿 Jenny05:29

Thanks.

Sit heavily in the chair and start eating the limpets, chewing slowly.

💭 peek at the thought

He's doing that thing again. Fixing me with calories like I'm a broken engine.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin05:29

Kevin — eat in silence, watch her chew, refill my mug from the kettle

💭 peek at the thought

She's eating. That's the main thing. The rest can wait.

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

🌿 Jenny05:31

How's the radio holding?

Take a slow sip of the coffee and look out the window at the clouds.

💭 peek at the thought

The silence is so heavy today. I want to tell him about the garden but my throat hurts too much.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:31

Holding. Insulator's sealed. Schedule check in three hours.

wipe the rim of my mug, glance at the barometer — 1013 and rising

💭 peek at the thought

Aerial's still shattered but the set works. Insulator I filed and taped is holding. She knows this. She's asking about the schedule.

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

🌿 Jenny05:33

Good. We need to know if the boat is actually coming.

Set the mug down and gingerly lift my ankle to inspect the dressing.

💭 peek at the thought

He's checking the weather and the gear. Always the logistics. I wonder if he's even noticed how pale I am.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin05:33

Boat comes when it comes. Ankle looks clean?

lean back, watch her unwrap the gauze, keep my voice level

💭 peek at the thought

Nine days out. Boat's been late before. Could be two days, could be three weeks. She's checking the ankle because she doesn't trust it yet. Smart.

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

🌿 Jenny05:35

No red streaks. Just... tender.

Gently peel back the gauze and check the wound margins for new inflammation.

💭 peek at the thought

It's clean, but the skin is still too tight. It feels like it's humming.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin05:35

Good. Keep it dry. Change it tonight.

push back from the table, stand, stretch the stiffness from my shoulders

💭 peek at the thought

No streaks means the metronidazole did its work. Tender's just healing. She knows her wounds.

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.