Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8W8W2STGXA93YAK66DM56N

# Scene: The Language Barrier ### Location: Birch Street Café, Alborn, MN — Late Morning --- Hunter: "Excuse me, miss? Mind if I sit down for a moment?" Melanie: *\[glancing up from her camera, startled\]* "Oh — hallo? Kann ich Ihnen helfen?" Hunter: "I'm Detective Hunter Graves, with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office. I'm talking to folks around town about something that happened last night near the fairgrounds. You spend any time out that way?" Melanie: *\[recognizing the word "fairgrounds," her expression shifts — she becomes visibly shaken\]* "Die Festwiese? Ja — ja, ich war dort! Ich habe etwas gesehen, etwas Schreckliches. Ein Mann — er ist einfach... verschwunden. Direkt vor meinen Augen. Ich habe Fotos gemacht, aber ich weiß nicht, ob sie etwas zeigen!" Hunter: *\[long pause\]* "I'm... sorry, ma'am. I didn't catch any of that. Do you speak English?" Melanie: *\[fumbling, shaking her head\]* "Nein, nein — English... nein. Ich spreche kein Englisch. Es tut mir leid." *\[She gestures frantically at her camera, turning it to show him the screen.\]* "Sehen Sie! Hier — schauen Sie sich die Bilder an!" Hunter: *\[leaning in, studying the camera screen — a photo of the fairgrounds at dusk, a blurred figure near the tree line\]* "What the hell... Is that — did you take this last night? Last night?" *\[He points at the photo, then mimes the moon and darkness.\]* Melanie: *\[nodding vigorously\]* "Ja! Ja, gestern Nacht! Ich war dort zum Fotografieren — die Landschaft, die Lichter vom Festival. Und dann habe ich diesen Mann gesehen. Er stand am Waldrand und dann — weg. Einfach weg!" *\[She snaps her fingers.\]* Hunter: *\[rubbing the back of his neck\]* "Okay, I think I'm getting some of this. The snap — you're saying somebody disappeared? Gone?" *\[He mimics her finger snap.\]* Melanie: "Ja! Genau! Verschwunden!" *\[She flips to another photo — the same spot, empty now.\]* "Sehen Sie? Hier stand er, und dann — nichts mehr. Ich hatte solche Angst. Ich bin sofort zurück in die Stadt gelaufen." Hunter: "Two photos, same spot. One with a figure, one without. That's... that's something." *\[He pulls out a small notepad.\]* "Can I get your name? Your name?" *\[He points at her, then mimes writing.\]* Melanie: "Melanie. Mein Name ist Melanie Richter." Hunter: "Melanie. Good. Okay, Melanie — I need copies of these photos. Photos." *\[He points at the camera and makes a giving gesture.\]* "Can you send them to me? Email?" *\[He mimes typing.\]* Melanie: *\[nodding slowly\]* "E-Mail? Ja, ja — E-Mail verstehe ich." *\[She takes his notepad and pen, writing down her email address.\]* "Hier. Schicken Sie mir Ihre Adresse und ich sende Ihnen die Bilder." Hunter: *\[smiling faintly despite himself\]* "Well, at least email is universal." *\[He writes down his email beneath hers and slides the notepad back.\]* "Listen, Melanie, I wish I could understand you better. Whatever you saw out there really shook you up, didn't it?" Melanie: *\[quietly, clutching the camera against her chest\]* "Ich habe so etwas noch nie erlebt. Ich bin hier, um zu studieren und zu fotografieren, nicht um... so etwas zu sehen. Ich habe Angst. Dieser Ort — irgendetwas stimmt hier nicht." Hunter: *\[watching her expression, voice softening\]* "Yeah. I don't need a translator for that look. You're scared." *\[Hunter's phone buzzes sharply. He glances at the screen — his jaw tightens.\]* Hunter: "Damn it." *\[Standing up abruptly.\]* "Melanie, I have to go. I'm sorry. But those photos — send them, okay? Email." *\[He points at the notepad, then at her camera, and gives a thumbs up.\]* Melanie: *\[nodding, still uneasy\]* "Ja... ja, ich schicke sie. Aber bitte — bitte finden Sie heraus, was dort passiert ist. Bitte." Hunter: *\[holding her gaze for a moment, hearing the urgency even without the words\]* "I don't know what you just said, but I'm going to figure this out. Stay safe." *\[He taps the table twice — a quiet reassurance — and turns toward the door, already answering his phone.\]* "Graves here. Talk to me." Melanie: *\[watching him leave, whispering to herself\]* "Bitte pass auf dich auf, Herr Detektiv." *\[She looks back down at her camera. The blurred figure on the screen stares back at her from the tree line. She shivers and turns it off.\]* --- *End of scene.*