Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY8SBV8Z5BQ9EJNWB2JRAH6

**VOICE SHEET: SCENE – THE CAFÉ CONFRONTATION** **Setting:** A quaint, sunlit café in Alborn, MN. The scent of fresh-baked apple pastries lingers in the air. Marie sits at a small wooden table, her camera open beside her, its lens covered in dust. She stares at a faded photograph of a misty forest path, her fingers tracing the edges of the frame. Hunter, in his rumpled detective’s coat, leans against the table across from her, arms crossed. --- ### **DIALOGUE (Transcribed & Translated for Context)** --- **Hunter:** *(in English, gruff)* "You’re the new girl, right? Marie? From France?" **Marie:** *(jumps slightly, then speaks rapidly in French, voice trembling)* *"Oui… oui, c’est moi… Je… Je ne comprends pas…"* *(She clutches her camera tighter, eyes darting around the café.)* *"Ils ont disparu. Tous les trois. Comme ça."* *(Her breath hitches.)* *"La dernière fois, j’ai vu… j’ai pris une photo. Mais… mais personne ne croit en moi."* *(Hunter blinks, confused. He doesn’t understand a word.)* **Hunter:** *(frowning, switching to French—basic phrases only, haltingly)* *"Désolé… je ne parle pas bien. Qu’est-ce que…"* *(gestures vaguely at the photo, then at the café patrons)* *"…qu’est-ce qui s’est passé?"* **Marie:** *(whispers, voice breaking)* *"Ils ont disparu dans la forêt. Comme dans mes photos. Toujours près de l’arbre noir."* *(She points at the photograph—it’s a shadowy tree in the woods, its branches twisted.)* *"La dernière fois, j’ai entendu des cris. Mais quand je suis revenue… plus personne."* *(Hunter’s jaw tightens. He glances at his watch, then back at her.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, sharp)* *"You’re saying people are vanishing near that tree?"* **Marie:** *(nods frantically, then corrects in French)* *"Non… pas juste ‘disparus’. Ils… ils sont *emportés*. Comme si quelque chose les avait…"* *(She hesitates, then gestures wildly.)* *"Pris. Comme dans mes images."* *(Hunter exhales through his nose, rubbing his temple. He pulls out a notepad, scribbling in English.)* **Hunter:** *(in English, low)* *"Marie, I need you to tell me exactly what you saw. The dates. The times. And don’t leave town."* **Marie:** *(whispers, terrified)* *"Je ne peux pas. Mon visa… si je reste trop longtemps—"* **Hunter:** *(cutting her off, firm)* *"You’re not leaving. Not until I know what’s going on."* *(A beat. Marie swallows hard, then nods slowly.)* **Marie:** *(in French, urgent)* *"Il y a autre chose… la dernière nuit, j’ai vu une lumière. Sous les arbres. Comme… comme une lanterne. Mais personne n’était là."* *(Hunter’s eyes flicker to the photo again. Then his phone rings—an unknown number. He answers abruptly.)* **Hunter:** *(into phone, gruff)* *"Yeah?"* *(Pauses, listens.)* *"…Yeah. I’m on it."* *(To Marie, curt)* *"I’ve got to go. Stay here. Don’t move."* *(He stands abruptly, tossing a business card onto the table. Marie stares at it, then at him, before slipping it into her pocket.)* **Hunter:** *(over his shoulder, as he walks away)* *"And Marie?"* **Marie:** *(whispers, alone now)* *"Oui?"* **Hunter:** *(in English, without turning)* *"Don’t take any more photos of that tree."* *(He strides out, leaving Marie shaking, her camera still open to the eerie photograph.)* --- **END SCENE.** --- **Notes for Tone & Delivery:** - **Marie’s French** is rapid, emotional, and laced with fear—she’s not a fluent speaker in a crisis, so her grammar may falter. - **Hunter’s English** is blunt, direct, and authoritative. His French is *painfully* basic (e.g., *"Désolé… je ne parle pas bien"*—he’s trying but fails). - **Silence is key**—after Hunter leaves, Marie’s breath is audible, her fingers trembling as she clutches the camera. Would you like any adjustments to the tension or dialogue flow?