the keeper's cottage · day 698 · dawn

Morning Heat and Humidity

Jenny sits on the porch with her ankle propped on a blanket while Kevin checks the water level in the tank. The air is still and heavy as the 26°C heat begins to settle.

Kevin worked at the dock to progress the greenheart scarf joint on the starboard stringer while the tide was low. Jenny stayed at the cottage to debride her ankle wound with saline and check the water levels and seed supplies.

🔧 Kevin04:35

Water's fine. How's the ankle?

set the dipstick back in its clip and walk to the porch, crouching beside her chair to peel back the gauze

💭 peek at the thought

Tank's holding at 370. Good. She's favoring the left side — ankle's still hot. Should've changed that poultice an hour ago.

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

🌿 Jenny04:37

It hasn't moved. Just heavy from the damp today.

Jenny winces as he pulls the tape away, her eyes fixed on the red mark on her skin.

💭 peek at the thought

It's throbbing, but the red line hasn't moved. I can't let him see the swelling.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:37

It's moved. Red line's past yesterday's mark.

wipe the old poultice clean with saline, then spread fresh sea beet and mint thick over the wound, rewrapping it firm but not tight

💭 peek at the thought

Red line's tracking past the mark I made yesterday. Not good. She's tough but this needs the rest of the metronidazole.

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

🌿 Jenny04:39

It's just the heat. The planks are damp.

Jenny goes quiet, her hand tightening on the armrest of the chair as she watches him work the bandage.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right. The infection is moving faster than I can map it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:39

Heat doesn't draw lines. Took the last metronidazole dose this morning. Two left.

finish the wrap, secure the end with a clean strip of sail twine, and sit back on my heels, watching her face

💭 peek at the thought

She's minimizing. The heat's not making red streaks climb her calf. Two doses of metronidazole left. If this doesn't turn by tomorrow, we're out of options.

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

🌿 Jenny04:41

We'll manage. The boat is due in three.

Jenny looks out at the grey water, her jaw set so tight she doesn't say a word.

💭 peek at the thought

Two left. If the boat is delayed by even a day, I'm out of time.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:41

Boat's due in three. Barometer's steady at 1012. Wind's gone northerly though — swell's deepening.

stand, wipe my hands on a rag, and go to the radio shelf to key the mic on 2182

💭 peek at the thought

Three days if the boat comes. If the swell holds. If the barometer doesn't drop. She's betting on a lot of ifs with two pills between her and sepsis.

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

🌿 Jenny04:43

Check the tank again while you talk.

Jenny shifts her weight, a sharp hiss escaping her teeth as she reaches for the heirloom seed tin on the table.

💭 peek at the thought

If that swell picks up, the boat won't make the channel. I need to check the seeds.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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