**Scene: A Cozy Café in Alborn, MN** *Melanie is seated at a quaint corner table in the bustling café, her camera resting on the table as she scrolls through recent photographs. Her expression is distant, hinting at turmoil beneath the surface. Hunter, wearing a well-worn leather jacket, spots her and approaches with an air of determination.* --- **Hunter:** "Excuse me, miss. I've noticed you around town with your camera. Mind if I ask you a few questions? It's about the strange events lately." **Melanie:** "Entschuldigung, ich verstehe nicht..." (Sorry, I do not understand...) *Hunter raises an eyebrow, unsure of what she just said, but he can sense her distress is genuine.* **Hunter:** "Uh... okay. How about... do you have any pictures related to what’s been happening here?" *Melanie visibly struggles, gesturing to the camera as if it holds the answers. She takes a deep breath, trying to explain in German.* **Melanie:** "Ich habe etwas Seltsames gesehen... Menschen, die verschwinden. Es ist sehr beunruhigend." (I saw something strange... people disappearing. It's very troubling.) *Hunter scratches his head, clearly grappling with the language barrier.* **Hunter:** "Disappearances? You mean... Leute, uh, weg?" *He gestures his hand in a way to mimic ‘vanish,’ hoping to illustrate his point. Melanie nods fervently.* **Melanie:** "Ja, ja! Genau! Es war... wie ein Schatten." (Yes, yes! Exactly! It was... like a shadow.) *Hunter tries to piece together her words, hanging onto the resemblance of a shadow.* **Hunter:** "A shadow? You got it on camera?" *Melanie nods again, searching through her camera's memory. She pauses, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination.* **Melanie:** "Ich weiß nicht, was es war... aber ich bin sicher, es war nicht normal." (I don't know what it was... but I'm sure it wasn’t normal.) *Hunter sighs, feeling a bit defeated by the language barrier, but he respects her courage.* **Hunter:** "Okay, listen, I’ll need someone to translate this for me. But thank you... I think." *Just then, Hunter’s phone buzzes. He checks it, and his face immediately turns serious.* **Hunter:** "I’m sorry, I gotta go. Be careful, okay? And keep that camera close." *Hunter tips his head slightly and walks briskly out of the café, leaving Melanie with a sense of lingering unease and resolve.* ---