THE GULL WATCHER — Gary Hunter

When artist Molly McCorkle closes her studio in Rapid City, her intent is simple; return, after a thirteen-year absence, to her island home in the Pacific Northwest, start life anew, and confront the emotionally-scarring incident that forced her departure. Taking a temporary job at a sailboat chartering service, she encounters complications while working with a caustic runaway from the streets of Portland, an infatuated adolescent, and an amiable-appearing diver with a sadistic streak. Against the idyllic setting of the San Juan Islands, Molly encounters adventure, danger, and a love beyond anything she envisioned. Sitting on the stone seawall overlooking the harbor, Molly watches the ebbing tide. Knees drawn to her chest, she gazes at the receding water as it laps at the rocky shore before swirling away. Mesmerized, she becomes lost in a dance of repetitive motion.