Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8VQF8SJ2CP3MMYFZ8DSDCQ

# Scene: The Language Barrier ### Setting: Mabel's Café, Main Street, Alborn, MN — Late Morning --- Hunter: "Excuse me, ma'am? Sorry to bother you. I'm Detective Hunter Briggs with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office. Mind if I sit down?" Selvi: *[looking up from her camera, startled]* "...Kya? Mujhse baat kar rahe hain?" *(What? Are you talking to me?)* Hunter: "I'll take that as a yes. Listen, I've been going around town asking folks — were you anywhere near the fairgrounds last Tuesday evening? We had a person reported missing. A young woman, about your age." Selvi: *[her face going pale, clutching her camera tightly]* "Woh... woh raat. Haan, main wahin thi. Maine kuch dekha — kuch bahut bura dekha. Ek ladki thi, woh chilla rahi thi, aur phir... phir sab kuch shaant ho gaya." *(That... that night. Yes, I was there. I saw something — something very bad. There was a girl, she was screaming, and then... then everything went quiet.)* Hunter: "...Okay. I'm — I'm not catching any of that. Do you speak English? English?" Selvi: *[shaking her head, frustrated]* "English nahi aati mujhe. Samajh nahi aa raha. Lekin please — aapko sunna chahiye. Woh ladki khatre mein thi!" *(I don't know English. I don't understand. But please — you need to listen. That girl was in danger!)* Hunter: "Right. That's... definitely not English. Spanish? No, that's not Spanish either. Ma'am, I really need to — hold on, let me try something. You — *you* — see anything? Anything... bad?" Selvi: *[nodding vigorously, eyes wide]* "Haan! Haan! Bad — yeh word main jaanti hoon. Bad! Bahut bad! Maine photos liye — dekhiye, yeh dekhiye!" *(Yes! Yes! Bad — I know this word. Bad! Very bad! I took photos — look, look at this!)* Hunter: "Whoa. You're showing me your camera. May I? ...These are some real nice landscape shots, but — wait. Hold on. What's this one here? Is that the fairground? That timestamp says Tuesday, nine forty-seven PM." Selvi: *[tapping the camera screen urgently]* "Yeh dekhiye — yeh shadow, yahan, pedon ke peeche. Aur yeh — yeh ek gaadi thi, bina lights ke. Koi tha wahan. Koi us ladki ko le gaya." *(Look at this — this shadow, here, behind the trees. And this — this was a car, without lights. Someone was there. Someone took that girl.)* Hunter: "There's a shadow in this one. And that — is that a vehicle? No headlights. Ma'am, this might actually be... I need copies of these. Can you — *copies?* Uh... *photo?* Me... take... photo?" Selvi: *[pulling the camera back, uncertain]* "Aap yeh le jaana chahte hain? Nahi, nahi — yeh mera camera hai. Lekin main help karna chahti hoon. Mujhe nahi pata kaise samjhaun." *(You want to take this? No, no — this is my camera. But I want to help. I don't know how to explain.)* Hunter: "Okay, okay — I'm not gonna take it. I see you're protective of that. I get it. I just need — God, I wish I had a translator. Do you have a phone? *Phone?* Someone who speaks...whatever language... and English?" Selvi: *[rummaging through her bag]* "Phone... haan, mere paas phone hai. Lekin yahan signal nahi aata. Yeh chhota sa town hai, kuch kaam nahi karta yahan." *(Phone... yes, I have a phone. But there's no signal here. This is a small town, nothing works here.)* Hunter: "No signal. Yeah, welcome to Alborn. Look, I can see you're upset. Whatever you saw that night, it clearly shook you up. I want to help, and I think you want to help me too. We just gotta figure out how to—" Selvi: *[eyes welling up]* "Woh ladki... uski cheekh abhi bhi mere kaano mein goonj rahi hai. Main raat ko so nahi paati. Aur koi meri baat samajh nahi raha. Koi nahi samajhta." *(That girl... her scream still echoes in my ears. I can't sleep at night. And nobody understands me. Nobody understands.)* Hunter: "Hey, hey — it's alright. I don't know what you're saying, but I can see it in your eyes. You saw something bad. I believe you." Selvi: *[wiping her eyes, nodding quietly]* "Aapki aankhein acchi hain. Aap bure insaan nahi lagte. Kaash aap meri baat samajh paate." *(You have kind eyes. You don't seem like a bad person. I wish you could understand me.)* Hunter: "Tell you what, I'm going to find someone who speaks your language, and I'm going to come back, and we're going to sit right here and you're going to tell me everything. Okay? I'll come back. *Come back.* Me — *here* — again." Selvi: *[tentatively]* "Aap... wapas aaoge? Yahan?" *(You... will come back? Here?)* Hunter: "Yeah. Here. I'll—" *[Hunter's phone rings loudly.]* Hunter: "Briggs. ...What? When? ...How far out past Henderson's property? ...No, don't touch anything, I'm on my way. Ten minutes." Selvi: *[watching him anxiously]* "Kya hua? Sab theek hai?" *(What happened? Is everything okay?)* Hunter: *[standing up quickly, putting a hand on the table]* "I'm sorry — I have to go. Something came up. But I *will* be back. *Back.* Okay? Don't go anywhere. Stay. *Stay here.*" Selvi: *[gripping her camera, nodding slowly]* "Main... yahin rahungi. Aur aapke liye photos rakhungi. Please wapas aana. Please." *(I... will stay right here. And I'll keep the photos for you. Please come back. Please.)* Hunter: *[pausing at the door, looking back at her]* "I don't understand a word you say, but something tells me you might be the best witness I've got." *[He pushes through the café door and disappears into the grey Alborn morning. Selvi watches him go, then slowly turns her camera back on, scrolling to the photo of the shadow behind the trees. She stares at it, her hands trembling.]* Selvi: *[whispering to herself]* "Woh wapas aayega. Aur main sab kuch bata dungi. Sab kuch." *(He'll come back. And I'll tell him everything. Everything.)* --- *End of Scene*