## Voice Sheet: A Confused Encounter **Setting:** A cozy cafe in Alborn, MN. Selvi is seated at a small, round table near a window, her camera laid out beside a cooling cup of chai, her brow furrowed in concentration as she scrolls through images on its screen. **Selvi:** (Muttering softly to herself, a worried frown on her face as she reviews a blurred image of the town square with hastily erected barricades.) "यह शहर कितना शांत था… अब यह सब कुछ बदल गया है. क्या हो रहा है?" (This town was so peaceful… now everything has changed. What is happening?) **Hunter:** (Approaching the table, his footsteps firm but not intrusive. He carries a small notebook and a pen. His voice is deep, a little gravelly.) "Excuse me, ma'am? Mind if I bother you for a moment?" **Selvi:** (Her head snaps up, eyes wide with a flicker of alarm. She instinctively pulls her camera closer to her chest, as if for protection. Her expression is a mixture of confusion and fear. She doesn't understand him.) "क्या?" (What?) **Hunter:** (Stopping beside her table, his gaze steady.) "I'm Detective Hunter. I'm investigating the recent disappearances around town. I saw you taking pictures earlier near the old mill, and I was wondering if you might have seen anything unusual last night? Anything out of the ordinary?" **Selvi:** (Her eyes are still wide, her brow furrowed in a deep, troubled frown. She shakes her head slowly, a nervous flutter in her chest. She tries to piece together the non-verbal cues from his tone and posture, but the words are a complete blank slate. Her voice is soft, laced with a palpable tremor of distress.) "मुझे खेद है। मैं समझ नहीं पा रही हूँ।" (I am sorry. I don't understand.) **Hunter:** (His own brow furrows. He registers the confusion and fear in her expression, and the unfamiliar language. He tries again, speaking a little slower, gesturing vaguely.) "Disappearances. People are… gone. Did you see anything? Anyone strange? Last night. Near the mill?" **Selvi:** (She shakes her head more emphatically, her gaze darting towards the cafe's bustling entrance, as if seeking an escape. Her anxiety is clear in her posture, her shoulders slightly hunched. She remembers seeing the worried faces, the hushed conversations, the sense of unease that has settled over Alborn like a thick fog. Her voice rises slightly, still troubled and shaken, a mixture of fear and the frustration of not being understood.) "ओह, गायब? हाँ, गायब। मुझे पता है। यह सब बहुत डरावना है। लोग कहाँ जा रहे हैं? मुझे नहीं पता। मैं तो बस अपनी तस्वीरें ले रही थी। सब कुछ बदल गया है। मैं यहाँ सिर्फ पढ़ाई करने आई थी!" (Oh, disappearances? Yes, disappearances. I know. It's all so frightening. Where are people going? I don't know. I was just taking my pictures. Everything has changed. I just came here to study!) **Hunter:** (He watches her, his expression a mask of growing confusion. He picks up on the "गायब" – *gaayab* - the word for disappeared, and the distress in her tone, but the rest is a jumble. He tries to offer a reassuring, if slightly awkward, smile.) "Okay… okay. Slow down. I… I understand 'gayab.' You're saying it's… scary? You don't know where people are going?" **Selvi:** (She nods vigorously, her hands clasped tightly. Relief that he understood even a single word flickers in her eyes, but it's quickly replaced by the continuing weight of her fear.) "हाँ, बहुत डरावना। मैंने बस… मैंने बस बदलाव देखा है। सब कुछ बहुत अजीब है। मैं नहीं जानती क्या करना है। क्या कोई सुरक्षित है?" (Yes, very scary. I just… I just saw the change. Everything is so strange. I don't know what to do. Is anyone safe?) **Hunter:** (He rubs the back of his neck, clearly out of his depth. He glances around for a moment, as if hoping for a translator to magically appear. He tries a direct, clear question, even though he knows it's likely futile.) "Did you see anyone *take* anyone? Or anything suspicious happen last night around say, ten or eleven o'clock?" **Selvi:** (Her eyes widen further, a fresh wave of fear washing over her. She shakes her head vigorously, her voice strained.) "नहीं! नहीं, मैंने कुछ नहीं देखा। मैं अपने कैमरे में व्यस्त थी। बस तस्वीरें। पर… मैंने लोगों को परेशान देखा। बहुत सारे लोग चिंतित हैं।" (No! No, I didn’t see anything. I was busy with my camera. Just pictures. But… I saw people upset. Many people are worried.) **Hunter:** (He sighs, a silent acknowledgment of the communication barrier. He pulls out his notepad and quickly jots something down, a frown of concentration on his face. He looks back at Selvi, his gaze softening slightly.) "Look, I know this is difficult. And you're clearly… worried. If you *do* remember anything, anything at all, no matter how small, please… if you see me, or any other police officer, just… try to tell us. Okay?" **Selvi:** (She nods slowly, her gaze still troubled, but a flicker of understanding at his earnest tone. She manages a faint, hopeful "ठीक है," – *theek hai* – just as a sharp, insistent ring cuts through the cafe's gentle hum. Hunter pulls out his phone, his expression shifting instantly to focused urgency.) **Hunter:** (Speaking into his phone, his voice suddenly sharp and professional.) "Hunter here. Go ahead… What? Where? On my way. Now." (He quickly hangs up, his gaze fixing on Selvi. He offers a quick, apologetic, and slightly flustered smile.) "Look, I've gotta go. Something just came up. Thanks for your time, ma'am. Be safe, okay?" (He claps his notebook shut and turns, striding quickly out of the cafe, leaving Selvi alone with her camera, her chai, and the lingering echoes of her fear.)