Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7XK8B23VHQG3XKHEAMPRM

**Scene: *The Café by the Clock Tower*** *(The warm glow of a vintage chandelier casts long shadows over the wooden tables of *El Café de Alborn*, where Maria sits alone, her camera resting on the table between them. A half-empty cup of *café con leche* sits beside it, its steam curling lazily. The scent of cinnamon and fresh bread fills the air. Maria’s fingers trace the lens cap of her camera, her expression unreadable. Outside, the town’s annual apple festival buzzes—laughter, music, the distant clatter of carts—but she seems lost in her own world.)* --- **Maria:** *(softly, in Spanish)* *"¿Viste lo que pasó ayer en el puente? Nadie lo sabe."* *(Hunter, a broad-shouldered man in a worn leather jacket, steps into the café, his boots scuffing against the wooden floor. He freezes, his gaze flicking between Maria and her camera. His expression is unreadable—curious, wary.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, voice low)* *"What happened at the bridge yesterday? Who knows?"* *(Maria doesn’t look up. Her voice is tight, her hands still.)* **Maria:** *(in Spanish, barely above a whisper)* *"No uno lo encontró. Solo… solo se fue."* *(Hunter exhales through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. He doesn’t know Spanish, but the weight of her words settles over him like a storm cloud.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, voice gruff)* *"Who disappeared?"* **Maria:** *(shakes her head, voice breaking slightly)* *"No sé. Pero… no hay nadie que lo diga."* *(She leans forward, her camera resting on the table between them. The camera lens reflects the flickering light of the café.)* **Hunter:** *(stares at her, then at the camera, then back at her)* *"You’re sure no one else saw it?"* **Maria:** *(nods, her voice trembling)* *"Sí. Solo yo lo vi."* *(A beat. The café hums around them—voices, clinking glasses, the distant *clang* of a bell. But Maria’s world has narrowed to the bridge, the water, the empty space where someone once stood.)* **Hunter:** *(pulls his phone from his pocket, checks the screen)* *"Shit. I gotta go. But I’ll be back. You’ll tell me everything?"* *(He stands abruptly, his jacket rustling. Maria watches him go, her breath shallow. The café door swings shut behind him, leaving her alone again—but this time, she knows the truth: she’s not alone in this.)* --- **End Scene.**