Run: 2026-02-16-01KHK1GT991DP061YY63SM58TY

**Scene:** The Steaming Mug Cafe, Alborn, MN. The air smells of cinnamon and roasted beans. Outside, preparations for the Apple Festival are underway, with bales of hay lining the sidewalk. Selvi sits in a corner booth, her DSLR camera resting on the table as she reviews photos of the crisp autumn landscape. Detective Hunter approaches, his posture rigid, eyes scanning the room before landing on her. **Voice Sheet** Selvi: "Oh! Please, do not startle me. I was just capturing the light hitting the maple trees; it is like gold dust today." Hunter: "Sorry to interrupt. I'm Detective Hunter with the Alborn PD. I noticed the camera. You were up near the old orchard trails this morning, weren't you? Around dawn?" Selvi: "Yes, yes, the trails were beautiful. But... something was wrong. The fog was too thick, and I saw a car. Not a farmer's truck. A black sedan, hidden behind the silo. It looked... dangerous." Hunter: "A black sedan? Can you tell me who was inside? Did you get a license plate number? This is important; we've had some folks go missing in that sector." Selvi: "Maine kisi ko andar nahi dekha, lekin darwaza khula tha aur zameen par kuch giraa hua tha. Woh dekhkar mera dil zor se dhadakne laga. Mujhe laga koi musibat hone wali hai." Hunter: "I'm sorry, miss. I didn't catch that. You're speaking Hindi, right? I don't speak it. Can you try English? Maybe point to something or draw it?" Selvi: "I... I cannot. My English, it is not there yet. Only Hindi. Please, you must understand. The thing on the ground... it was a shoe. A small shoe. Like a child's." Hunter: "A shoe? A child's shoe?" *Hunter leans in, his expression hardening, trying to read her frantic gestures.* "Okay, slow down. Show me on your camera. Did you take a picture of this shoe?" Selvi: "Haan, haan! Maine photo li thi, par jab main zoom karne gayi, toh gaadi chalu ho gayi aur bhaag gayi. Main dar gayi, Detective Sahab. Woh bachcha kahan hai? Kya woh surakshit hai?" Hunter: "I can see the fear in your eyes, and I get that you're worried about a kid. But without words, I'm flying blind here. Do you have anyone at the college who speaks English that I can call? A professor?" Selvi: "Professor... haan, Professor Miller. Par woh abhi class mein honge. Please, aap meri baat samajh rahe hain na? Bachcha khatre mein hai!" Hunter: "Look, I want to help, but we hit a wall. I need specific details—directions, descriptions, names. Without a translator, we're just spinning our wheels." *Hunter's radio crackles softly on his belt, then his phone buzzes violently against the table.* Selvi: "Kripya, jaane se pehle kuch toh kijiye! Main aapko photo dikha sakti hoon!" Hunter: "Hold that thought." *Hunter glances at his phone screen, his face tightening.* "Damn it. That's the Sheriff. They found another vehicle near the county line. I have to go, now." Selvi: "Nahi! Rukiye! Please, do not go!" Hunter: "I have to. Stay right here. Do not leave this cafe. I'll send someone who can speak your language back here within the hour. Do not move." *Hunter turns abruptly, already dialing as he pushes through the cafe door, leaving Selvi trembling with her camera clutched to her chest.*