Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7QJ576MS6T3CJ1J0PSVW0

**Title: *Whispers in the Apple Orchard*** --- **Scene: *The Morning Sunlight Café*** *(The small, sunlit café in Alborn, MN, is quiet except for the hum of a coffee machine. Selvi sits at a corner table, her camera resting on the table in front of her, the lens reflecting the soft morning light. She’s lost in thought, fingers tracing the strap of her bag. A few minutes later, the door creaks open, and Hunter steps inside, his boots scuffing against the wooden floor.)* --- **Hunter:** *(noticing Selvi, his expression unreadable)* "Morning. You got a minute?" *(Selvi doesn’t look up. She keeps her camera angled toward the window, but her hands tremble slightly.)* **Selvi:** *(quietly, in Hindi)* "... *Aap ko kya hai?*" *(Hunter blinks. Hindi? He’s never heard it before. His jaw tightens.)* **Hunter:** *(frowning, trying to place it)* "Uh… *What’s that you said?*" *(gesturing vaguely at her)* **Selvi:** *(voice breaking slightly)* "... *Maine ek katha chahiye…*" *(Hunter’s eyes narrow. He’s heard enough.)* **Hunter:** *(pulling out his phone, voice low)* "Alright, I gotta run. But I’ll be back—*you* tell me what’s going on." *(He turns to leave, but pauses at the door.)* **Hunter:** *(over his shoulder, gruff)* "And don’t just nod at me. *Show me.*" *(Selvi exhales sharply, then nods once—just once—before he’s gone. The café door slams shut behind him.)* *(She stares at her camera, the weight of something unspoken pressing down on her.)* --- **End Scene.** *(Next: Selvi returns to her hotel room, where she finds a single apple—stained with something dark—left on her desk. And the faint scent of something… *burnt*.)*