the dock · day 674 · dawn

Morning tide and engine prep

Jenny sits on the dock bench with her ankle elevated while watching the tide rise against the pilings. Kevin tests the Yanmar engine on the dinghy, checking for vibrations and leaks.

The tide is rising faster than predicted, with the swell lapping at the surface of the dock. The barometer is dropping to 997 hPa, signaling a shift in weather. Jenny sits on the porch, her ankle throbbing as the red streaks of infection continue to crawl slowly up her calf.

🌿 Jenny19:31

Watch the mounting bolts, Kevin. It's vibrating more than it did yesterday.

Jenny reaches for the damp cloth to dab away at the edge of the poultice on her calf.

💭 peek at the thought

The red streaks are moving faster today. If that engine fails, I'm stuck on this rock with a rotted leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:31

Heard it. Checking the bracket alignment now.

kill the Yanmar, climb out of the dinghy onto the dock, crouch at the transom to inspect the engine mount bolts and bracket with a wrench

💭 peek at the thought

She hears what I don't. Or won't. The mount felt solid at the bench but the hull transmits different.

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

🌿 Jenny19:35

Don't over-tighten them. The threads are tired.

Jenny pulls her sketchbook from her lap and begins sketching the way the water is swirling around the rotten pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

He's focused on the metal while my skin is literally coming apart.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:36

Not planning to. Just checking the bracket hasn't walked.

test each mount bolt with the wrench — firm pressure only, feeling for movement without forcing; glance at the bracket heel where the stainless shim sits

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The transom's greenheart but the bolts have been through hell. Strip them and we're drilling new holes in wet wood.

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

🌿 Jenny19:39

The salt is getting into everything. Even the bolts.

Jenny stops sketching and looks at the red streaks throbbing in her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If the bracket walks, the whole system fails. Just like this island.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:39

The bracket's solid. Shim's holding. Engine's not the problem.

wipe the wrench clean on a rag, climb back into the dinghy, restart the Yanmar and bring it to half throttle, watching the mount for any shudder

💭 peek at the thought

She's not talking about the bolts. The streaks are tracking upward again. Antibiotics should've held by now.

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

🌿 Jenny19:41

It's not just the engine. Everything feels heavy today.

Jenny winces as she shifts her weight, adjusting the makeshift poultice on her calf.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right about the bracket, but the vibration is still in my bones.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:41

Engine's clean. No vibration at load.

throttle back to idle, kill the Yanmar, step onto the dock and crouch beside her to check the ankle — peel back the poultice edge and look at the wound track

💭 peek at the thought

The vibration's gone at half throttle. Prop shaft true. But she's talking about the weight in her leg, not the dinghy. Fever's still there.

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

🌿 Jenny19:43

It's not the boat, Kevin. It's me.

Jenny goes quiet, pulling her leg away slightly as he touches the skin.

💭 peek at the thought

The red lines are higher than they were this morning. Moving fast.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:43

The infection's tracking. We need the rest of the antibiotics.

press the back of my hand to her calf above the poultice — confirming the heat — then stand and walk to the cottage porch where the medical kit sits

💭 peek at the thought

Heat radiating two inches above the dressing. Red fingers reaching past the incision line. The doxycycline didn't touch it. Metronidazole's gone. She knows.

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.