the dock · day 587 · night

The Rising Tide

Jenny reaches the jetty and grips the piling for balance as the water begins to cover the lower steps of the dock.

Heavy rain falls from the west as the tide rises, slicking the dock. Kevin and Jenny retreat to the cottage to escape the worsening downpour and the rising swell. The barometric pressure continues to drop, signaling the approach of a true storm.

🔧 Kevin07:59

Come on. Steps going under in two minutes.

Hold out a hand to steady her up the last slippery rung, then walk her back toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving slow. Ankle's holding but the tide's not waiting. Need to get her up the dock before the steps go under.

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

🌿 Jenny08:01

I've got it. Just let me breathe.

Jenny takes Kevin's hand, lurches her weight onto her good leg, and limps onto the dock planks.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is on fire, and that crate is still locked shut while the tide is winning.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:01

Swell's building. Walk on the landward side of the stringers. Less flex.

Walk beside her on the seaward side, between her and the water, one hand hovering near her elbow without touching unless she needs it.

💭 peek at the thought

She's stubborn. Good. That's why she's still here. But the swell's picking up — can see it in the way the pilings sing.

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

🌿 Jenny08:03

I know, I'm moving.

Jenny shifts her weight to the edge of the wood, keeping her eyes on the cottage door as she hobbles across the jetty.

💭 peek at the thought

The boards are groaning under my weight, and the salt is stinging the rot in my ankle.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:03

Kettle's on. Corned beef in the pan if you want it.

Fall in a half-step behind her, scanning the planks ahead for the soft spots I haven't sistered yet, ready to catch a stumble before it happens.

💭 peek at the thought

She knows the dock better than she lets on. Always did. The cottage door's thirty metres of uneven boards and she's making it look like a choice.

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

🌿 Jenny08:05

I do want it. Thank you.

Jenny limps up the porch steps and sinks heavily into a chair, leaning her head back against the wall.

💭 peek at the thought

I can smell the beef already. I'm starving, but I can't stop thinking about that crate sitting there in the dark.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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