Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY8X9J4SEGR5KVW309D5VSX

**Voice Sheet: Scene – Café in Alborn, MN** **Setting:** *A cozy, slightly rustic café in Alborn, MN, with warm wooden tables and a chalkboard menu. The hum of quiet conversation fills the air. Melanie sits alone, her camera open on the table, reviewing photos of the town’s autumn landscapes. Hunter, in a worn leather jacket, leans against the counter before approaching her table.* --- ### **Dialogue Transcript** *(Hunter clears his throat, drawing Melanie’s attention. She looks up, startled, then immediately nervous. She speaks in rapid, halting German.)* **Melanie:** *(whispering, trembling slightly)* *"Ich… ich habe etwas gesehen. Vor zwei Tagen. Am Waldrand. Ein Mann… er… er hat… er hat sich bewegt, als ob er… als ob er etwas trug. Etwas Großes. Und dann… dann ist er einfach verschwunden."* *(Hunter blinks, frowning. He doesn’t understand a word. He leans closer, squinting at her.)* **Hunter:** *(confused, raising his voice slightly)* "Huh? What? You’re talking about a guy at the edge of the woods? What’d he look like?" *(Melanie flinches, her hands clutching her camera. She speaks faster, more urgently.)* **Melanie:** *(panicked)* *"Er war groß. Dunkel. Er trug eine Jacke… aber nicht wie die anderen. Sie war… nass. Und er… er hat sich gebückt. Als ob er etwas aufhob. Dann… dann war er weg. Kein Geräusch. Kein Licht. Nur… nur ein Schatten."* *(Hunter rubs his temples, frustrated. He pulls out a notepad and pen, scribbling down a few words.)* **Hunter:** *(grunting, trying to keep his tone neutral)* "Okay, okay. So you saw a big guy in a wet jacket near the woods. You didn’t get a license plate or anything?" *(Melanie shakes her head violently.)* **Melanie:** *(whispering, voice breaking)* *"Ich… ich habe nur fotografiert. Die Bäume. Die Blätter. Ich habe nicht… ich habe nicht gesehen, dass es wichtig war."* *(Hunter exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. He glances at his watch, then pulls out his phone—it rings immediately. He answers without looking at Melanie.)* **Hunter:** *(into phone, gruff)* "Yeah?… What?… No, I’m still here. *(pauses, then mutters)* Yeah, I’m at the café. *(turns slightly toward Melanie, then back to the phone)* No, I don’t have a name. *(another pause)* Yeah, I’ll be right there."* *(He hangs up abruptly, standing up. He looks at Melanie, then back at his notepad.)* **Hunter:** *(sighing, almost to himself)* "Look, I need to go. But if you think of anything else—anything at all—you call the station. Or me. *(he scribbles a number on the notepad and slides it toward her)* Okay?" *(Melanie stares at the number, then at Hunter. She nods slowly, her expression haunted.)* **Melanie:** *(quietly, in German)* *"Danke."* *(Hunter nods once, then walks away, leaving Melanie sitting alone, her camera still open to the eerie photo she took of the woods that day.)* --- **End Scene.** --- **Notes for Performance:** - Melanie’s German is rapid, emotional, and slightly broken—she’s struggling to articulate her fear. - Hunter’s frustration is palpable; he’s used to direct answers, not cryptic descriptions in a language he doesn’t speak. - The tension lingers after he leaves—Melanie’s unease is palpable, and the audience should feel it too.