Run: 2026-05-01-01KQHSK70BSXV3KC9JJNHCCEYP

**Scene:** The cozy corner café in downtown Alborn was quiet this afternoon, sunlight slanting through the windows and warming the wooden tables. Selvi sat alone near the window, her dark hair falling across her shoulder as she scrolled through the photos on her camera. The Apple Festival last weekend had been beautiful—golden leaves, red apples, laughing families—but one particular string of images kept drawing her back. Shadows that shouldn’t have been there. A figure that had vanished between frames. She hadn’t noticed the tall, serious-looking man until his shadow fell across her table. Hunter pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down without waiting for an invitation, his detective’s badge glinting briefly at his belt. His face was all hard lines and Marine-trained focus. **Voice Sheet:** Selvi: "..." Hunter: "Excuse me, miss. I’m Detective Hunter with the Alborn PD. I understand you were taking photographs near the old orchard the night Thomas Reilly disappeared. Mind if I ask you a few questions about what you might have seen?" Selvi: "क्या? मैं... मैंने कुछ नहीं देखा। बस तस्वीरें लीं। फिर वह आदमी अचानक गायब हो गया। मैं डर गई थी। कृपया, मुझे अंग्रेजी नहीं आती। मैं बहुत परेशान हूँ।" *(Translation: “What? I… I didn’t see anything. I was just taking pictures. Then that man suddenly disappeared. I got scared. Please, I don’t speak English. I’m very shaken.”)* Hunter: "..." Selvi: "मुझे लगता है कि कुछ गलत है यहाँ। हर कोई चुप है। मैं बस अपनी पढ़ाई पूरी करना चाहती हूँ और घर जाना चाहती हूँ।" *(Translation: “I think something is wrong here. Everyone is quiet. I just want to finish my studies and go home.”)* Hunter: "Ma’am, I don’t speak… whatever that is. Hindi? Look, I’m not trying to upset you. If you saw anything unusual that night—anybody who didn’t belong, strange vehicles, lights out in the trees—just nod or write it down. Anything helps." Selvi: "माफ़ कीजिए। मैं समझ नहीं पा रही हूँ।" *(Translation: “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”)* She clutched her camera tighter, visibly trembling. Hunter: "..." Selvi: "क्या आप मुझे छोड़ देंगे? मैं कुछ नहीं जानती।" *(Translation: “Will you leave me alone? I don’t know anything.”)* Hunter: "All right… this clearly isn’t working. I’ll find someone who can translate. You stay safe, okay?" Selvi: "..." Hunter’s phone buzzed sharply against the tabletop. He glanced at the screen, jaw tightening. Hunter: "This is Hunter… Yeah. I’m on my way." He stood, giving Selvi one last frustrated but not unkind look. "We’ll talk again soon. With a translator." Selvi watched the tall detective stride out of the café, her heart still hammering. She looked back down at the last photo on her camera—the one where a dark shape seemed to melt between the apple trees—and whispered softly to herself in Hindi. Selvi: "यह जगह सुरक्षित नहीं है..." *(Translation: “This place is not safe...”)*