Run: 2026-09-23-01M37Q3XAV2JX16Q8NZ1E7CAZS

# Voice Sheet: *The Orchard Lantern*, Scene 12: "Lost in Translation" **Setting:** *The Bushel & Bean Café, Main Street, Alborn, MN. Late morning. Apple festival banners hang in the window. SELVI sits alone at a corner table, scrolling through photos on her camera. Her coffee has gone cold. HUNTER enters, scans the room, and approaches.* *(English translations of Hindi lines are provided in brackets for the director and cast only. Hunter does not understand them.)* --- **Hunter:** *(polite but brisk)* "Morning, ma'am. Sorry to bother you. Detective Hunter, Alborn PD." *(shows badge)* "I've seen you around town with that camera. Were you out near the Lindqvist orchard Tuesday night? When the Carlson girl went missing?" **Selvi:** *(startled, clutching the camera, voice unsteady)* "माफ़ कीजिए... मुझे अंग्रेज़ी नहीं आती। आप... आप पुलिस से हैं?" *[Excuse me... I don't know English. You... you're from the police?]* **Hunter:** *(blinks, then slows down)* "Police. Yes. Detective." *(taps badge)* "The orchard. Tuesday. Were you there?" **Selvi:** *(recognizing "police," her words spilling out)* "पुलिस... हाँ, हाँ। मैंने कुछ देखा था। उस रात, बाग़ के पास। मैं बहुत डर गई थी। मैं किसी को बता नहीं पाई, कोई मेरी बात समझता ही नहीं।" *[Police... yes, yes. I saw something. That night, near the orchard. I was so scared. I couldn't tell anyone. Nobody understands me.]* **Hunter:** *(exhales, rubs the back of his neck)* "Okay. I caught zero percent of that." *(beat)* "Slower won't help, will it." **Selvi:** *(sees his frustration, takes a steadying breath, raises a hand)* "रुकिए। रुकिए। मैं आपको दिखाती हूँ।" *[Wait. Wait. I'll show you.]* *(She turns the camera screen toward him.)* **Hunter:** *(leaning in, pulling out a chair)* "Pictures. Good. That I can work with. Mind if I sit?" *(gestures at the chair; she nods)* **Selvi:** *(pointing at the screen, quietly)* "यह मंगलवार की शाम है। सूरज ढल रहा था। मैं सेब के पेड़ों की फोटो ले रही थी... रोशनी बहुत सुंदर थी।" *[This is Tuesday evening. The sun was setting. I was photographing the apple trees... the light was so beautiful.]* **Hunter:** "That's the Lindqvist barn." *(pulls out his phone, opens the calendar, and taps Tuesday)* "Tuesday? This day?" **Selvi:** *(nodding firmly, tapping the phone)* "हाँ। मंगलवार।" *[Yes. Tuesday.]* **Hunter:** *(to himself)* "Golden hour. So roughly seven-thirty. Right before the call came in." **Selvi:** *(clicks to the next photo, and her voice drops)* "और यह देखिए। पेड़ों के बीच... एक आदमी खड़ा था। वह मुझे देख रहा था। बिल्कुल हिल नहीं रहा था।" *[And look at this. Between the trees... a man was standing there. He was watching me. He wasn't moving at all.]* **Hunter:** *(sharp, all business)* "Hold on. Back up. There." *(pinches the air with two fingers)* "Can you zoom? Zoom in?" **Selvi:** *(understanding the gesture, zooming in, her hands trembling slightly)* "मैंने उसका चेहरा नहीं देखा। बहुत अंधेरा था।" *[I didn't see his face. It was too dark.]* **Hunter:** *(squinting)* "Tall. Heavy coat. In September." *(pause)* "What's he holding? Is that a lantern?" **Selvi:** *(catching the word from his gesture, miming a light going out with her fingers)* "हाँ, एक लालटेन। फिर वह बुझ गई... और जब मैंने दोबारा देखा, वहाँ कोई नहीं था। कोई भी नहीं।" *[Yes, a lantern. Then it went out... and when I looked again, nobody was there. Nobody at all.]* **Hunter:** *(frowning)* "That's one of the festival lanterns. Those aren't supposed to come out of storage until next week." *(beat)* "Only a handful of people have keys to that shed." **Selvi:** *(searching his face, then letting out a small, tired laugh)* "आप मेरी बात समझ रहे हैं? ...नहीं, आप नहीं समझ रहे। लेकिन आप सुन रहे हैं। यही काफ़ी है।" *[Do you understand what I'm saying? ...No, you don't. But you're listening. That's enough.]* **Hunter:** *(his voice softening for the first time)* "I don't understand a word you're saying. But I know what scared looks like." *(taps the table gently)* "You're safe here. Safe. Okay?" **Selvi:** *(repeating carefully)* "सेफ़..." *(small nod)* "ठीक है।" *[Safe... okay.]* **Hunter:** *(pulls out a notepad and points to himself)* "Hunter." *(points to her and slides the pad across)* "You?" **Selvi:** *(writing her name in both Devanagari and Roman letters)* "सेल्वी।" *[Selvi.]* **Hunter:** "Selvi." *(reads it twice to get it right)* "Okay, Selvi. I'm going to need copies of these. Maybe we can find someone at the college who—" *(His phone buzzes. He holds up a finger and answers.)* **Hunter:** *(into phone, clipped)* "Hunter." *(pause)* "Where?" *(pause)* "The orchard road or the creek side?" *(pause)* "Nobody touches anything. I'm five minutes out." *(He hangs up and stands, already reaching for his keys.)* **Hunter:** "I have to go. I'm sorry." *(slides a business card across the table and taps the number)* "Call me. Call." *(mimes a phone at his ear, then points firmly at the camera)* "And don't delete those. Don't. Delete." *(makes a crossing-out motion)* **Selvi:** *(nodding quickly, holding the card)* "नहीं, नहीं, मैं कुछ नहीं मिटाऊँगी।" *[No, no, I won't delete anything.]* *(Hunter heads for the door. Selvi glances back down at her camera, clicks forward one more frame, and freezes.)* **Selvi:** *(calling after him, urgent)* "रुकिए! डिटेक्टिव! एक और फोटो है—" *[Wait! Detective! There's one more photo—]* *(The café door jingles shut. He's gone. Selvi stares at the screen, then slowly lifts her eyes to the café window.)* **Selvi:** *(barely a whisper)* "...यह तो वही आदमी है। और वह यहीं खड़ा है।" *[...It's the same man. And he's standing right here.]* --- *END OF SCENE*