Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY9FBZDDJD5WH3SWTDGBA10

**Scene: *The Café by the Clock Tower*** *(The sun hangs low over Alborn, casting long shadows through the narrow streets. Marie sits at a small wooden table in *Le Petit Café*, her camera resting on the table beside her. She’s reviewing a series of photos she took earlier—vibrant autumn leaves, the quiet river winding through the town. The café’s warm light flickers over her dark hair, and the scent of fresh bread and coffee fills the air. Hunter approaches, his boots scuffing against the cobblestones. He stops just outside the café’s doorway, his expression unreadable.)* --- **Marie:** *(without looking up, her voice soft but urgent)* *"Je crois que j’ai vu quelque chose hier soir… près de la rivière."* *(She flips through her photos, pausing on one where the water glints unnaturally, too still. Her fingers tremble slightly.)* **Hunter:** *(approaching, arms crossed, his voice low and measured)* *"What’d you see?"* **Marie:** *(finally meeting his gaze, her eyes wide with something like fear)* *"Des gens… disparus. Comme à la fête de la pomme. Mais pas seulement ceux que tout le monde connaît."* *(She hesitates, then adds, voice barely above a whisper:)* *"Et puis… il y avait une femme. Elle portait une robe noire. Elle a disparu avant que je puisse prendre une photo."* *(Her breath catches. She doesn’t look away.)* **Hunter:** *(staring at her, then at the photos, his jaw tight)* *"You’re sure it wasn’t just a drunk or something?"* **Marie:** *(shaking her head, voice breaking slightly)* *"Non. Elle était trop… *calme*. Comme si elle savait où elle allait."* *(A pause. The café’s hum fills the silence. Hunter exhales sharply, rubbing his temple.)* **Hunter:** *(finally, to her, his tone gruff)* *"You’re telling me you saw a woman vanish near the river—same night as the others—and you didn’t even know it was a disappearance?"* **Marie:** *(her hands clench around her camera)* *"Je ne sais pas. Mais… je ne peux pas m’en souvenir comme ça. Comme si mon cerveau avait *effacé*."* *(She swallows hard, her voice dropping.)* **Hunter:** *(quietly, almost to himself)* *"You’re telling me you’ve got a photographic memory for landscapes but not for people who just… disappeared?"* *(Marie doesn’t answer. She just stares at her camera, the weight of his words settling over her like a storm.)* **Hunter:** *(after a beat, turning to leave)* *"Look, I gotta take this call. But if you see anything else—anything—you call me. *Now.*" *(He pulls out his phone, swipes a few times, then looks back at her.)* *"And Marie? You’re not just some tourist with a camera. You’re the only one who’s seen what’s happening here. And I need to know what you know."* *(He steps back, then pauses at the door.)* **Marie:** *(suddenly, her voice trembling)* *"Hunter… est-ce que… est-ce que vous parlez français?"* *(Hunter blinks. The café door swings shut behind him.)* --- ***(End Scene.)***