**Voice Sheet – Café Encounter in Alborn, MN** *Setting: A quiet corner of “Hazel’s Hearth,” a cozy local café in Alborn, MN. Late afternoon light filters through the window. Isabella sits at a small round table, reviewing photos on her camera. Her expression shifts between fascination and unease. Hunter enters, his boots quiet but purposeful. He approaches her table.* --- **Hunter:** Ma’am? Excuse me. You were at the old orchard near County Line Road yesterday evening, weren’t you? Saw someone matching your description—dark coat, camera—taking pictures after sunset. **Isabella:** *(Looking up, startled. She fumbles slightly with the camera. In rapid, trembling Italian)* Cielo… non volevo spaventare nessuno. Ero solo… scattando foto. Ma quello strano rumore nel bosco… non era vento. Qualcosa… qualcuno si muoveva tra gli alberi. E poi… la luce. Una luce blu. Non naturale. Non normale. **Hunter:** *(Frowning, tilting his head slightly. He didn’t understand a word. Tries again, slower, as if that helps)* I… uh… didn’t catch any of that. You speak English? **Isabella:** *(Shakes her head quickly, eyes wide)* No, no inglese. Solo italiano. Mi dispiace. **Hunter:** *(Sighs, rubs the stubble on his jaw. He gestures toward the orchard outside the window)* Orchard. You… were there. Last night? After dark? **Isabella:** *(Nods, then points at her camera, flips through thumbnails. Stops at one—blurry, trees, and a faint blue glow between them. She taps it urgently)* Sì, sì. Qui. Ho visto questo. Non è normale. E poi… il silenzio. Improvviso. Nessun uccello. Nessun insetto. Come se… il mondo avesse trattenuto il fiato. **Hunter:** *(Leans in, squints at the photo. His expression tightens. He recognizes the location—and the anomaly)* You… took this? There? **Isabella:** *(Nods emphatically)* Sì. E dopo… ho sentito un sussurro. Incomprensibile. Ma… sembrava… chiamare il mio nome. Come sapeva…? *(She trails off, visibly shaken. Her hands tremble slightly.)* **Hunter:** *(Softening slightly, despite himself)* Hey… you’re okay. You’re safe here. But… that orchard… people have gone missing. Two in the last month. Vanished. No tracks. No signs. *(He pauses, frustrated by the language barrier. He mimes writing.)* Look, I need… to understand what you saw. I’ll get someone who speaks Italian. Soon. *(Suddenly, his phone buzzes—insistent. He pulls it out. Glances at the screen. His demeanor shifts instantly—alert, sharp.)* **Hunter:** *(Into phone)* Hunter. *(Listens. His jaw clenches.)* Where? …The Miller barn? Same symbols on the door? …On my way. *(Hangs up. He looks back at Isabella, torn.)* I gotta go. But… stay in town. Don’t go back to the orchard. Stay somewhere… with people. *(He taps his badge, then points to her, then to the sky—trying to convey *call me*, though she can’t understand. He turns and strides out.)* **Isabella:** *(Whispers under her breath, clutching her camera)* Che sta succedendo in questo posto…? *(The camera screen glows faintly—the blue light still visible in the photo.)* --- **End Scene.**