## Scene: Whispers of Fear **Setting:** A cozy café in Alborn, MN, bustling with the morning rush. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and apple pastries fills the air. **[SCENE START]** **(SELVI sits at a table near the window, her brow furrowed as she scrolls through photos on her camera. She’s dressed in warm clothes, a stark contrast to the vibrant saree peeking from her backpack. Her eyes, usually sparkling with curiosity, are clouded with worry. Hunter approaches her table, his face etched with the fatigue of sleepless nights. He’s a man of imposing stature, but today, even his usual confidence seems shaken.)** **HUNTER:** (Clears his throat, attempting a friendly smile) Excuse me, ma'am? I was hoping you could spare a few minutes. I'm Detective Hunter, with the Alborn police department. **(Selvi looks up, startled. Her gaze darts between Hunter and the badge he displays. She mutters a quick prayer in Hindi, clutching her camera close.)** **SELVI:** (In hesitant, worried Hindi) Namaste. Kya hua? Aap police se hain? (Hello. What happened? Are you from the police?) **(Hunter's smile falters. He runs a hand through his hair, clearly out of his element.)** **HUNTER:** Uh…ma'am? English? Do you speak… English? **(Selvi shakes her head, fear flickering in her eyes. She points at herself and then at the camera, trying to communicate.)** **SELVI:** (In Hindi, pointing at a photo on her camera) Photo… festival… log… gayab! (Photo… festival… people… gone!) **(She gestures emphatically, her words tumbling out in a rush, revealing her growing distress. Hunter frowns, trying to decipher her meaning. He catches snippets of “festival” and “gone,” his suspicion piqued.)** **HUNTER:** Look, I don't understand… but you were at the Apple Festival yesterday, right? Did you see something? Something…unusual? **(Selvi nods vigorously, relief washing over her face for a fleeting moment. She points at the photo again, then mimes someone disappearing, her expression a mix of fear and urgency.)** **SELVI:** Haan! Mela! Aadmi… aurat… gayab! (Yes! Festival! Man… woman… gone!) **(Hunter, though still unable to understand her words, recognizes the fear in her eyes. He pulls out a notepad and draws a rough sketch of a man and a woman, then puts a large X through them.)** **HUNTER:** Gone? Missing? Like this? **(Selvi nods frantically, pointing at the drawing and then at the picture on her camera. A wave of hope washes over her. Maybe, just maybe, this man could understand.)** **(Suddenly, Hunter's phone rings, breaking the fragile connection they'd established. He glances at the caller ID, his face hardening.)** **HUNTER:** Duty calls. Look, I need to… (He struggles to find the right words) I'll be back. Okay? Don’t… don’t go anywhere. **(He rushes off, leaving Selvi alone with her fear and a camera full of unspoken testimony. She stares at his retreating figure, her anxiety returning full force. She clutches her camera like a lifeline, a silent witness in a town suddenly full of whispers and shadows.)** **[SCENE END]** **VOICE SHEET:** **Selvi:** "Namaste. Kya hua? Aap police se hain?" (Hello. What happened? Are you from the police?) "(In Hindi, pointing at a photo on her camera) Photo… festival… log… gayab!" (Photo… festival… people… gone!) "Haan! Mela! Aadmi… aurat… gayab!" (Yes! Festival! Man… woman… gone!) **Hunter:** Uh…ma'am? English? Do you speak… English? "Look, I don't understand… but you were at the Apple Festival yesterday, right? Did you see something? Something…unusual?" "Gone? Missing? Like this?" "Duty calls. Look, I need to… I'll be back. Okay? Don’t… don’t go anywhere."