A little thing huddles inside. Soaked through. Runny nose. Nearly drowned.

“And what is your name then?”

“Shit!”

Sniffing loudly she climbs out. Malty shakes his head. Such a pitiful creature!

“You can’t really be called Shit. Listen Shrimp, come with me and we’ll dry you off.”

Malty Briggs lives on his island with only the wind, the ocean and the seabirds for company. One spring day he gets something new to think about when a blue bag is washed up. The girl who climbs out is an awkward creature, obstinate and hard to talk to. Malty tries various ways to make contact. In the end it is an abandoned baby seagull that breaks down the barriers.

What exactly are Shrimp’s problems? Malty guesses that she has been abused and generally mistreated. That’s one reason you might climb into a bag and try to close out the world. Not caring where the waves take you so long as you land up somewhere else.

Malty is wise enough to let Shrimp be. He cooks spaghetti for her and shows her where she can find building material to make a shelter. Seagulls are the bane of his life, but if it makes Shrimp happy he is willing to help look after the young chic.

Seagull Summer is about being alone and vulnerable, but also about a sensible adult who understands.