Run: 2026-02-16-01KHM5TJGQVYFNF96ZKECRGQHG

**Voice Sheet** **SETTING:** A small, cozy cafe in Alborn, MN. The air smells of coffee and baked goods. SELVI (30, Indian, dressed in practical, layered clothing) sits alone at a small, round wooden table. In front of her, a chai latte sits untouched. She is intently studying the screen of her digital camera, her expression deeply troubled. HUNTER (35, detective, in a worn leather jacket) enters the cafe, scans the room, and approaches her table. --- **Hunter:** (Approaching, his tone direct but not unkind) Excuse me. Are you Selvi? **Selvi:** (Startled, she looks up from her camera. Her eyes are wide. She clutches the camera a little tighter.) Ha... हाँ... मैं सेल्वी हूँ। (Yes... I am Selvi.) **Hunter:** (Nods, pulling out the chair across from her. He sits, keeping his posture open but professional.) Good. I'm Detective Hunter. I'm hoping you can help me. You were out by the old Miller orchard on the edge of town yesterday afternoon, right? Taking pictures? **Selvi:** (Her breath hitches. She understands the question from his gesture towards her camera and the mention of "pictures." She begins speaking rapidly in Hindi, her voice trembling.) हाँ, वहीं थी। लेकिन... कुछ गलत था। बहुत गलत। मैंने उन पेड़ों के बीच किसी को देखा... या कुछ देखा। साया जैसा। मेरा कैमरा... देखो, देखो यहाँ। (Yes, I was there. But... something was wrong. Very wrong. I saw someone between the trees... or something. Like a shadow. My camera... look, look here.) She turns the camera screen toward him, pointing a shaking finger at a blurry, dark image of tangled apple branches. Her distress is palpable. **Hunter:** (He leans in, squinting at the indistinct photo. His confusion is evident; he doesn't understand her words, only her fear.) I... I'm sorry, I don't understand. What are you trying to show me? Is this about the missing person? Did you see something? **Selvi:** (Frustrated, she taps the screen harder.) वह गया! चला गया! और फिर... आवाज़। जमीन के नीचे से एक अजीब सी आवाज़, एक गुनगुनाहट। मैं डर गयी थी। मैं भाग गयी। (He went! He disappeared! And then... a sound. A strange sound from under the ground, a humming. I was scared. I ran.) Her voice drops to a terrified whisper. She looks around the cafe as if the memory has followed her inside. **Hunter:** (He holds up a placating hand, his detective brain working to piece together meaning from tone and gesture.) Okay, okay. You're scared. You saw something. By the orchard. (He points to her camera, then mimics taking a photo.) Pictures. You have pictures? **Selvi:** (Nods vigorously, scrolling to a slightly clearer shot of a disturbed patch of earth near the old orchard fence. She shows it to him, her eyes pleading for him to understand.) यह देखो। जमीन... यह ऐसे नहीं होनी चाहिए। यह खोदी हुई है, फिर से बंद की हुई है। (Look at this. The ground... it shouldn't be like this. It's dug up, then closed back up.) **Hunter:** (He studies the photo of the uneven earth. His professional interest is now fully engaged. He recognizes disturbed soil.) That *is* strange. That doesn't look right. (He looks from the photo to her face, trying to bridge the language gap.) Did you see anyone else? Anyone near there? Before she can attempt another answer, Hunter's police radio, clipped to his belt, crackles to life with urgent, staticky dispatch codes. He holds up a finger, his expression shifting from focused investigation to immediate duty. **Hunter:** (Into the radio) Hunter. Go ahead. He listens for a moment, his jaw tightening. **Hunter:** (To Selvi, standing up abruptly. He pulls a business card from his jacket pocket and places it on the table.) I have to go. That was important. Thank you. This is my card. (He points to the card, then to her camera.) Don't delete those pictures. *Pictures.* Keep them safe. I'll... I'll find someone who can talk to you. Okay? Stay here, stay in town. **Selvi:** (Watches him, understanding he is leaving. The interruption leaves her agitated and unresolved. She simply nods, looking lost, and whispers.) ठीक है... (Okay...) Hunter gives her one last, appraising look, notes her pale face and death grip on the camera, then turns and strides quickly out of the cafe, the bell on the door jangling sharply behind him. Selvi stares at the business card, then back at the haunting image on her camera screen.