## Voice Sheet: The Cafe Encounter **Scene:** Maria is at a cafe in Alborn, MN, reviewing photos on her camera. Hunter approaches her. **Maria:** *[Quietly to herself, admiring a photo of an orchard]* "Qué bonitas son estas manzanas…" **Hunter:** "Excuse me, ma'am? Mind if I have a moment of your time?" **Maria:** *[Looks up, startled. Sees a man in a rumpled suit. Her brow furrows in confusion]* "Perdón? No entiendo." **Hunter:** *[A sigh escapes him. He gestures vaguely at the town square through the window, then makes a 'disappearing' motion with his hands.]* "There's been… some incidents. In town. Did you… see anything? Around the old mill, maybe?" **Maria:** *[Her eyes widen, a flicker of fear crosses her face. Her hand instinctively goes to her chest. She remembers the unsettling hush, the empty air where laughter should have been.]* "Oh… Ay, Dios mío. Sí. Fue… fue muy extraño. Las personas… se fueron. Desaparecieron. Estaba… estaba fotografiando los árboles y de repente… estaban vacías las calles. No había nadie. Era como… como si el viento se los hubiera llevado. Me dio mucho miedo." **Hunter:** *[He watches her intensely, catching the universal cues of distress and the word "desaparecieron," which sounds vaguely like "disappeared." He tries to connect what she's saying to his rudimentary understanding of the situation.]* "Disappeared? You saw… empty streets? Like *everyone* was gone?" **Maria:** *[Nodding vigorously, her voice trembling slightly]* "Sí, sí. Completamente. Y el silencio… fue lo peor. Demasiado silencioso. Las tiendas, los porches… vacíos. No escuchaba nada, ni a los pájaros. Mi corazón… ¡aquí! ¡Boom, boom!" *[She thumps her chest emphatically.]* "No podía entenderlo. Quería preguntar, pero… nadie." **Hunter:** *[He takes out a small notebook, though he knows he won’t be able to transcribe her words. He just needs her to keep talking, hoping for a clue. He points to her camera.]* "Your camera. Did you… take pictures? Of that time?" **Maria:** *[She looks at her camera, then back at him, her expression still troubled.]* "Sí, claro. Siempre llevo mi cámara. Pero… no estoy segura si… si capturé algo de… de eso. Estaba tan… tan asustada. Estaba buscando… algo normal. Las casas. Los árboles. Pero no… no vi nada… extraño en las fotos, creo. Solo… el vacío." **Hunter:** "Can I… can I see your pictures? Maybe something will jump out at me. Even if you didn't notice it." **Maria:** *[She hesitates, looking at the camera, then at him. He seems serious, concerned. She slowly navigates the menu, her fingers a little unsteady.]* "Uhm… Sí, supongo. Aquí están… las del día." *[She holds the camera out, displaying a series of landscape shots, mostly of the apple orchards and the quiet town square, devoid of people.]* **Hunter:** *[He leans in, scrutinizing the images on the small screen. His gaze is sharp, scanning for anything amiss. He points to a shot of a deserted street.]* "This one. What time was this taken?" **Maria:** *[She checks the timestamp on the camera.]* "Uh… a las tres y media, por la tarde." **Hunter:** "And later? Did you see anyone later?" **Maria:** *[She shakes her head, a fresh wave of distress washing over her.]* "No. Nunca. Estaba sola. Completamente. Fue la razón por la que… tuve que volver a mi habitación. Tenía demasiado miedo de estar sola en un pueblo… sin nadie." **Hunter:** *[His phone vibrates sharply. He pulls it out, glancing at the caller ID, a grim set to his jaw.]* "Damn. Looks like I gotta go." *[He looks back at Maria, a shared understanding of unease passing between them despite the language barrier.]* "Thank you, ma'am. This… this was helpful. I appreciate it. And if you… see anything. Anything at all. Or remember something. Stay safe." *[He gives her a brief, almost professional nod, then turns and strides out of the cafe, phone already to his ear, his voice low and urgent.]* **Maria:** *[Watches him go, a mix of relief and lingering anxiety on her face. She takes a deep, shaky breath, her gaze falling back to her camera, to the empty streets in her photos.]* "Qué extraño… qué terrible."