Run: 2026-02-20-01KHXPEASSTWD8DC458X4A09KA

**Voice Sheet: Café Conversation in Alborn, MN** *(Maria sits at a small wrought-iron table outside the café, her fingers tracing the edges of her camera. The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the cobblestone street. Hunter approaches, his boots scuffing lightly against the pavement. He hesitates before pulling out the chair across from her.)* **Hunter:** *(clears throat, polite but firm)* "Excuse me, miss. Mind if I sit for a minute?" **Maria:** *(looks up, startled, then offers a small, hesitant smile)* "Ah—sí, claro. Por favor." *(gestures to the chair, then goes back to studying her camera, her brow furrowing slightly)* **Hunter:** *(sits, leaning forward slightly)* "I’m Detective Hunter. I’m looking into some… unusual activity around town. I noticed you’ve been taking a lot of photos near the old orchard. Did you see anything strange yesterday evening?" **Maria:** *(blinks, then shakes her head, her fingers tightening around her camera)* "¿Perdón? No entiendo…" *(frowns, then switches to rapid Spanish, her voice trembling slightly)* "No hablo inglés. Pero… ayer vi algo raro. Un hombre cerca de los árboles—llevaba algo grande, como un saco. Y luego…" *(shudders, hugs herself)* "Desapareció. Como si la tierra se lo tragara." **Hunter:** *(leans back, rubbing his temple)* "Uh… right. Okay. So, you don’t speak English. That’s… great." *(sighs, then tries again, slower, gesturing vaguely)* "You. Saw. Something. By the trees?" **Maria:** *(nods eagerly, then switches back to Spanish, her words tumbling out)* "¡Sí! ¡Sí, los árboles! El hombre—no era de aquí, creo. Tenía prisa, y cuando lo llamé, corrió. Pero no como una persona normal. Como… como si algo lo persiguiera." *(presses a hand to her chest, her breath quickening)* "Y luego escuché un ruido. Como un zumbido. No sé qué era." **Hunter:** *(stares blankly, then pulls out his phone, tapping the screen before holding it up—it’s a translation app, but the signal is weak, and the words come out garbled)* "The… man. Ran. Like… something chased him?" **Maria:** *(peers at the screen, then shakes her head, frustrated)* "No, no—no es eso. Era como si *él* supiera que algo malo iba a pasar. Como si supiera que no debía estar allí." *(points toward the edge of town, where the orchard looms in the distance)* "Allí. Donde los manzanos están muertos." **Hunter:** *(follows her gaze, then nods slowly, even though he only caught about half of what she said)* "Dead trees. Got it." *(checks his watch, then stands abruptly as his phone buzzes—an urgent call from the station)* "Look, uh… I gotta go. But—" *(points at her, then at himself, then at the orchard)* "You. Me. Later. Okay?" **Maria:** *(blinks, then nods uncertainly)* "¿Más tarde? Sí, pero…" *(trails off as he’s already walking away, phone pressed to his ear, muttering under his breath)* **Hunter:** *(over his shoulder, already halfway down the street)* "Yeah, yeah, I’ll figure it out. Just—stay out of the orchard, alright?" **Maria:** *(watches him go, then sighs, lifting her camera and snapping a photo of the empty street, the golden light catching the dust in the air)* "Qué extraño…" *(murmurs, then flips through the photos on her screen, pausing on one—a shadowy figure near the trees, half-hidden by the branches.)*