the dock · day 591 · afternoon

Afternoon Tide

The overcast continues to darken, and the air is heavy with the scent of rain. The crate is lashed down, vibrating with the incoming swells.

Kevin and Jenny returned to the cottage as rain began. Kevin made coffee while Jenny tended her infected ankle, removing the sock to inspect the swelling. The barometer held at 996 hPa, steady for now.

🌿 Jenny12:42

Not today. Stay on the island.

Tighten the knot on the rope around the

💭 peek at the thought

If the tide takes that tin, I lose the only thing of hens I have left to actually plant.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin12:42

Aye. Low tide tomorrow.

coil the spare rope and stow it in the dinghy locker

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The crate isn't going anywhere now it's lashed, and the swells are building. Better to let the tide do the work and come back at low water when the wood's swollen less.

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

🌿 Jenny12:43

Tomorrow is a long time if the storm breaks.

Walk back toward the cottage, favoring the ankle with every heavy step.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks it's just the tide, but the fever is rising.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin12:43

Crate's secure. Come on.

follow Jenny up the path to the cottage, slower than usual to match her pace

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. The barometer's still falling and that swell's got teeth. But the crate's tied off proper and the tide'll lift it free of the rocks before it smashes the dock. Nothing more to do here tonight.

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

🌿 Jenny12:45

I'm fine, Kevin. Just a bit of a throb.

Lean slightly against the fence posts as we climb the path.

💭 peek at the thought

He's being too careful. I can tell he's watching the way I'm limping.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin12:45

Mm.

reach out and steady her by the elbow, silent, until she nods and pushes off the post again

💭 peek at the thought

She's not fine. The swelling's up past the brace line and she's white at the jaw. But she'd bite my head off if I said it, and we both know the antibiotics are doing what they can.

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

🌿 Jenny12:47

We need to get the kettle on before it really pours.

Reach for the cottage door handle, my hand trembling against the wood.

💭 peek at the thought

I hate being a burden, especially when the air is this heavy against my skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin12:47

I'll get it. You sit.

step past her through the doorway, head straight for the stove, fill the kettle from the tank tap and set it on the burner

💭 peek at the thought

The tremor in her hand isn't from the ankle. She's been holding it together all day — debriding her own wound, hauling crate lines, watching the barometer drop. Now the door's open and the storm's close and she doesn't have to be strong for the next five minutes.

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

🌿 Jenny12:50

Thank you. Thank you.

Lower myself carefully onto the cot, the anklets of pain flaring with the movement. </think>THOUGHT: The boot's already been on, but he's doing it anyway. Lower myself carefully onto the cot, the ankles of pain flaring with the movement.

💭 peek at the thought

The kettle's already been on, but he's doing it anyway.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin12:53

Kevin — pull the tin mugs down, spoon coffee into both, wait for the boil

💭 peek at the thought

She's saying it twice because she doesn't say it enough. The kettle's coming up to a sigh. I'll make it strong and black and leave the mug where she can reach it without stretching the ankle.

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

🌿 Jenny12:53

The pressure is dropping too fast.

Sit on the edge of the cot and peel the sock off my swollen ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If I can't get this fever down, I won't be able to dig the trenches next month.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin12:55

996 and steady an hour ago. Now?

set the mugs down, crouch beside the cot, reach for the clean gauze and antiseptic cream on the shelf

💭 peek at the thought

The sock peels away and the skin underneath is angry — red tracking up past the brace line, heat radiating off it. The antibiotics should've bitten by now. She's watching the barometer and her own leg at the same time, calculating which kills us first.

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.