the keeper's cottage · day 996 · midday

Supply boat arrival

The supply boat rounds the headland at high tide, engine throttling down as it approaches the dock. Kevin and Jenny stand on the porch, ditch bag packed, barometer at 984 hPa and still falling. The captain waves from the wheelhouse — two-hour window before the weather closes in.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🔧 Kevin06:57

Boat's here. Two hours. You get on first.

walk down porch steps to dock, ditch bag over shoulder

💭 peek at the thought

He's early. Tide's still pushing but the swell's building outside the headland — he won't risk the turn if the barometer drops another point. Ditch bag's heavy with medevac forms and the letter to Tom I still haven't sent. Jenny's leaning on that cane like it's the only thing keeping her upright.

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

🌿 Jenny06:59

Wait.

Limp to door, grab ditch bag, move slowly toward dock.

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer's falling faster than I expected—should've pushed harder on that dock repair. But the seeds... grandmother's seeds are already in the ground. That's enough. That has to be enough.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin06:59

North stringer's moving. Stay on the landward planks.

reach for her free arm, guide her toward the dock's inner edge

💭 peek at the thought

She's not leaving the bag. Or me. The swell's hitting the dock pilings hard — can see the north stringer flex from here. Captain's checking his watch, not the horizon. He knows.

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

🌿 Jenny07:01

The diesel can...

Stop, turn away from dock, point toward generator shed where the leaking fuel drum sits. "I need you to check that before you go aboard. The seam's failed again."

💭 peek at the thought

The north stringer shifting means the whole pier's compromised—the boat's crane might not even reach properly. I need to stay on solid ground.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin07:01

I'll check it. You get on the boat.

turn toward generator shed, jog across slick planks

💭 peek at the thought

The can's been weeping for days. Epoxy won't hold on salt-pitted metal. Captain's engine note just changed — he's spinning up to hold position against the swell. Two hours just became one. She's giving me a reason to stay on the dock.

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

🌿 Jenny07:03

Wait—don't touch the can yet.

Grab his sleeve, pull him back toward cottage steps. "The seam's weeping again. I need to reseal it before you go aboard. The epoxy's not holding the cracks."

💭 peek at the thought

He's already moving toward that failing diesel can—if it leaks completely while he's gone, the whole dock could wash out before the boat's crane even gets there.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin07:03

Jen. The boat's leaving.

pull sleeve free gently, set ditch bag on porch, jog to generator shed

💭 peek at the thought

She's stalling. The captain's horn just sounded — one long blast, the "get moving" signal. Swell's throwing spray over the seaward dock planks. She's terrified I'll step on that boat and not come back. The diesel can's the excuse. The letter in the ditch bag's the truth.

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

🌿 Jenny07:05

Kevin.

Step back from dock edge, place self firmly on cottage step, lift voice: "The boat isn't leaving until that diesel can is secured. If it fails, we both drown."

💭 peek at the thought

He's going anyway. If the dock fails, he dies instead of just getting wet. But those seeds in pocket eight... they're my choice too. My grandmother's hands in mine, planting hope in failing soil.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

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