Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY8SSFJHY9K5ANTY2080JSH

Below is the scene written as a cozy mystery excerpt, incorporating the provided character and location details. I've kept the tone light and intriguing, with a focus on the small-town charm of Alborn, MN, amid the underlying mystery of the disappearances. Melanie's dialogue is in German (with English translations in parentheses for reader clarity, as is common in novels), reflecting her lack of English knowledge. Hunter speaks in English. The scene builds a gentle tension through the language barrier, fitting the cozy genre's emphasis on character interactions over high-stakes drama. --- In the heart of Alborn, MN, where the scent of fresh apple cider lingered from the annual festival, Melanie sat at a quaint outdoor cafe table, her camera in hand. She scrolled through photos of the rolling Midwestern landscapes, but her brow furrowed—something about the images from the festival grounds troubled her, shadows where there shouldn't be any. The small town buzzed with whispers of recent disappearances, and as a study abroad student far from her German homeland, she felt increasingly isolated. Hunter strode up, his no-nonsense marine stance cutting through the cozy afternoon. He'd heard from locals that this foreign photographer had been snapping pictures near the last known spot of the vanished festival-goer. Time to get some answers. Hunter: "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Detective Hunter with the Alborn PD. I understand you were at the apple festival yesterday. Mind if I ask you a few questions about what you might've seen? There was an... incident. A disappearance." Melanie looked up, her eyes wide and shaken. She clutched her camera tighter, replying in rapid German, her voice trembling as if reliving a nightmare. Melanie: "Ich habe etwas Seltsames gesehen... ein Schatten, der jemanden mitgenommen hat. Es war furchterregend!" (I saw something strange... a shadow that took someone away. It was terrifying!) Hunter blinked, confusion etching his features. He leaned in, trying to make sense of the foreign words. No luck—he didn't know a lick of German. Hunter: "Uh, sorry? I didn't catch that. You speak English? Englisch? No? Alright, let's try this slower. Did you see anything unusual at the festival? A person acting weird, maybe? Someone who vanished?" Melanie shook her head frantically, gesturing to her camera and pointing at a photo on the screen—a blurry figure near the apple orchards. She spoke again, her tone urgent and troubled, mixing in emphatic hand waves. Melanie: "Nein, nein! Der Mann... er ist einfach verschwunden. Wie ein Geist! Ich habe Fotos, aber ich verstehe nicht..." (No, no! The man... he just disappeared. Like a ghost! I have photos, but I don't understand...) Hunter scratched his head, piecing together her gestures. She seemed genuinely spooked, not evasive. He pointed to the camera too, mimicking a snapping motion. Hunter: "Photos? You got pictures? That could help. Look, I don't speak... whatever that is. German? But if you saw something tied to the disappearances, I need to know. Can you show me?" They went back and forth like this for a few minutes—Melanie babbling in German, showing him grainy images on her camera, while Hunter nodded along, asking simple yes/no questions and getting frustrated shrugs in return. It was almost comical, like a mismatched dance in the cozy cafe, with festival banners fluttering overhead. He was starting to think she might have captured a clue, but the language wall was thicker than Alborn's famous apple pie crust. Melanie: "Bitte, Sie müssen mir glauben. Es war nachts, am Rand des Festivals. Jemand hat geschrien!" (Please, you have to believe me. It was at night, on the edge of the festival. Someone screamed!) Hunter: "Screamed? Okay, that's something. Nighttime, festival edge... Got it. Wish I had a translator here. Hang on, let me write this down—" Suddenly, Hunter's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. It was the station—another lead on the disappearances. Hunter: "Sorry, ma'am, I gotta take this. Stay put if you can; I'll send someone who speaks German. Thanks for trying." He gave her a nod and stepped away, answering the call as he hurried off, leaving Melanie alone with her camera and her unspoken fears. --- **Voice Sheet (Dialogue Only):** Hunter: "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Detective Hunter with the Alborn PD. I understand you were at the apple festival yesterday. Mind if I ask you a few questions about what you might've seen? There was an... incident. A disappearance." Melanie: "Ich habe etwas Seltsames gesehen... ein Schatten, der jemanden mitgenommen hat. Es war furchterregend!" (I saw something strange... a shadow that took someone away. It was terrifying!) Hunter: "Uh, sorry? I didn't catch that. You speak English? Englisch? No? Alright, let's try this slower. Did you see anything unusual at the festival? A person acting weird, maybe? Someone who vanished?" Melanie: "Nein, nein! Der Mann... er ist einfach verschwunden. Wie ein Geist! Ich habe Fotos, aber ich verstehe nicht..." (No, no! The man... he just disappeared. Like a ghost! I have photos, but I don't understand...) Hunter: "Photos? You got pictures? That could help. Look, I don't speak... whatever that is. German? But if you saw something tied to the disappearances, I need to know. Can you show me?" Melanie: "Bitte, Sie müssen mir glauben. Es war nachts, am Rand des Festivals. Jemand hat geschrien!" (Please, you have to believe me. It was at night, on the edge of the festival. Someone screamed!) Hunter: "Screamed? Okay, that's something. Nighttime, festival edge... Got it. Wish I had a translator here. Hang on, let me write this down—" Hunter: "Sorry, ma'am, I gotta take this. Stay put if you can; I'll send someone who speaks German. Thanks for trying."