Run: 2026-02-25-01KJ94HDBHBRKS971EXBPVHG94

The afternoon sun angled through the large plate-glass window of "The Daily Grind," Alborn's only proper coffee shop, casting long shadows across the polished wooden floor. Maria, thirty years old and a world away from her Spanish homeland, traced a finger over the lens of her Canon camera. The lens was her constant companion, her way of translating the unfamiliar sights and sounds of this small Midwestern town into something she could understand, something she could capture. Today, however, the usual quiet satisfaction of reviewing her shots was replaced by a nervous tremor in her hands. The vibrant colours of autumn leaves, which she'd been so eager to photograph yesterday, now seemed a dull, ominous backdrop to a memory that refused to fade. A gruff voice broke her concentration. "Excuse me. Are you Maria?" She flinched, her gaze snapping up. Standing over her small table was a man who exuded an aura of quiet authority, his face weathered, his eyes sharp and assessing. He was clearly not a local, not in the usual sense of Alborn's familiar faces. His clothes were practical, his posture that of someone used to giving orders. "I’m Detective Hunter," he said, his voice low but firm. "I’m looking into some incidents in town. You were out photographing yesterday, I believe? Near the old mill road?" Maria’s brow furrowed. She recognized the police cruiser parked outside earlier. She nodded, her heart giving a little lurch. Yes, she had been there. Yes, she had seen something. "Did you happen to see anything out of the ordinary?" Hunter pressed, leaning in slightly. "Anything at all, no matter how small? We're trying to piece things together." The question brought the unsettling image flooding back. Her hands began to shake again. She swallowed hard, trying to find the English words, but they wouldn't form. Instead, the distress and fear spilled out in her native tongue. Hunter’s expression shifted from attentive to deeply confused. He blinked, his brow furrowing further. He clearly didn't understand a single word. Maria’s eyes widened, a flash of panic in them. The language barrier, a constant annoyance, felt like an insurmountable wall right now. He ran a hand through his short-cropped hair, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Right. Okay. Look, I need to understand," he said, trying to keep his tone even. He then attempted a phrase in Spanish, a blunt, unpracticed effort: "Uh… *qué?* *'Qué es eso'?* What did you see?" Maria shook her head, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Her gaze darted back to her camera. She began frantically scrolling through her photos, her thumb flying across the screen. "Is it in the pictures? Can you show me?" Hunter asked, a flicker of hope in his eyes. She pointed to a shot of vibrant red and gold leaves. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed. Just then, Hunter’s phone buzzed loudly in his pocket, a jarring intrusion. "Damn it," he muttered. "Hold on a second." He pulled out his phone and answered, his voice instantly hardening. "Hunter. Yeah, what is it? Another one? Where? Alright, I'm on my way." He snapped the phone shut, his focus snapping back to Maria, but now tinged with urgency. "Look, I'm really sorry," he said, his tone apologetic but firm. "I have to go. Can you… try to find someone who speaks Spanish? Or can you draw it? Or… anything?" Maria looked up at him, her expression a mixture of confusion, fear, and a desperate plea. "I'll be back if I can," Hunter promised, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. "Just… try and remember." With a final, curt nod, he turned and strode out of the cafe, leaving Maria alone with her camera and the haunting memory of what she'd seen in the woods. *** **Voice Sheet:** Maria: "¡Ay, Dios mío! Sí, sí. Estaba allí, estaba tomando fotos. Los colores del otoño… y vi… vi algo. Entre los árboles. Como una sombra. Se movía muy rápido. No era un animal. Me dio mucho, mucho escalofrío." Hunter: "A shadow? Moving? I don't… Uh, could you speak English? Or point? What did you see?" Maria: "¡No! ¡No era un animal! ¡Era… era raro! Como… ¡uh! Lo siento, no hablo inglés. Pero lo vi. Me asustó." Hunter: "Right. Okay. Look, I need to understand. What was it? Can you describe it? Uh… *qué?* *'Qué es eso'?* What did you see?" Maria: "Aquí… quizás… creo que mi cámara… No estoy segura." Hunter: "Is it in the pictures? Can you show me?" Maria: "Esto es… pero lo que vi… está aquí. No sé cómo… no puedo… ¡Ay!" Hunter: "Damn it. Hold on a second. Hunter. Yeah, what is it? Another one? Where? Alright, I'm on my way. Look, I'm really sorry. I have to go. Can you… try to find someone who speaks Spanish? Or can you draw it? Or… anything?" Maria: "Por favor…" Hunter: "I'll be back if I can. Just… try and remember."