## Voice Sheet: A Confused Encounter **Setting:** A quaint cafe in Alborn, MN. Marie sits at a table, sipping her tea, her camera resting on the worn wooden surface. --- **Marie:** (Muttering to herself, eyes fixed on a recent landscape photo on her camera's screen) "Magnifique... Le lac est si paisible ce matin-là." **Hunter:** (Approaching the table, a serious expression on his face. His voice is deep and direct, though not unkind.) "Excuse me, miss? Mind if I have a quick word?" **Marie:** (Looks up, startled by the unfamiliar voice and language. Her brow furrows slightly as she tries to understand, then she offers a polite, if hesitant, smile.) "Pardon? Je ne comprends pas." **Hunter:** (Sensing her confusion, he takes a breath and tries to slow down, enunciating clearly.) "I'm Detective Hunter. I'm investigating some… unusual occurrences in town. There was a pretty big commotion down by the old mill yesterday. Did you happen to see anything, or were you around there with your camera?" He gestures vaguely towards her camera. **Marie:** (Her smile falters. Her eyes widen slightly, and she visibly tenses. Her voice is low, troubled, and infused with a palpable tremor of fear. She speaks rapidly in French, clearly recounting a disturbing memory.) "Mon Dieu, oui! J'étais là! Je prenais des photos des cygnes quand... quand j'ai vu quelqu'un. Un homme, je crois... Il courait, et il y avait des cris... C'était horrible. Je ne comprenais pas ce qui se passait, mais c'était très effrayant. La police est arrivée, mais... il n'y avait plus personne. Juste un silence très, très lourd." **Hunter:** (His eyes are fixed on her, trying to glean meaning from her distressed tone and rapid speech, but his face remains a mask of confusion. He rubs the back of his neck.) "Okay... Alright. I'm, uh... I'm not really understanding what you're saying, ma'am. Is there anyone here who speaks French? I need to know what you saw at the mill." **Marie:** (Shakes her head, her expression still troubled. She tries to slow down, pointing vaguely in the direction of the mill.) "Le moulin... Hier... Les cris... L'homme... Il a disparu. Personne. C'était... C'était terrible." **Hunter:** (Sighs, frustrated by the language barrier, but maintains a patient demeanor.) "Okay, 'terrible.' I get that. So you saw someone disappear? Was it a man? A woman? Can you tell me anything about them?" He makes a hand gesture of "disappearing." **Marie:** (Her eyes are still wide with a lingering fear. She repeats in a hushed, trembling voice.) "Un homme. Il a disparu. Comme s'il n'avait jamais été là. C'était un cauchemar." **Hunter:** (He attempts a small, reassuring smile, despite his growing exasperation.) "A man. Disappeared. Okay. Look, I really appreciate you trying to help, but I'm just not getting enough here. We need to find someone who can translate." He glances around the cafe for a moment, then pulls out his phone when it vibrates urgently. He checks the screen, his expression immediately hardening. "Hold on a second." He answers the call. "Hunter. Yeah... What? Another one? Where?" His voice grows sterner, more urgent. "I'm on my way. Be there in five." He hangs up, his attention fully shifted. **Hunter:** (To Marie, a look of genuine regret on his face.) "Look, I'm really sorry. Something else just came up. I have to go. I'll... I'll try to find someone who speaks French and come back. Please, if you remember anything else, or if you can talk to someone who can help with the translation, that would be great." He gives her a brief, apologetic nod, then turns and strides quickly out of the cafe, leaving Marie alone with her troubled thoughts and the memory of the bewildering encounter. **Marie:** (Watches him leave, her shoulders slumping slightly. She murmurs to herself, a bewildered and mournful tone in her voice.) "Il ne comprend pas. Personne ne comprend..."