A day on the shore of the Salish Sea

A day on the shore of the Salish Sea imagines a near future version of the United States where authoritarianism has taken root, protest and political division are widespread, sensational acts of violence are beginning to occur, the presence of the military in cities and at key locations is commonplace, and the future is uncertain.

Mei and Jamie sit among other weary travelers at the Port Angeles ferry to Victoria. They are not refugees or internally displaced persons. They're not fleeing persecution, certain social collapse, or the onset of civil war. Like many others, they are aware in a vague way of the dangerous times they live in and have elected to break from their routine, to visit Mei's sister in Vancouver.

Travel-worn and impatient, they eventually decide to delay their trip. In the following twenty-four hours they interact with National Guard soldiers providing port security, find themselves amidst an ICE raid at a motel, and attend a strange garden party at a large estate where they become the victims of a terrible crime. The aftermath finds Mei and former police officer Brittany making a weary return to the port to take stock of the changes that have occurred overnight and finally board the ferry destined for Vancouver Island.

Using a personal lens to explore the nuanced everyday hardships of living in a state of national emergency, A day on the shore of the Salish Sea examines themes of ideological and interpersonal alienation, the cognitive dissonance of experiencing political turmoil in the information age, the dangers of dehumanization and objectification, and the stages of grief which we experience when our loved ones, livelihoods, and culture are impacted by violent change.