Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: At present, complete containment of SCP-XXXX is not possible. Any and all known instances of SCP-XXXX are to be monitored at all times, and immediate measures are to be taken by the Foundation to cease all operations at postal centers housing instances of SCP-XXXX. Once a postal center housing an instance of SCP-XXXX has its operations officially shut down, all postal centers within a 100-mile radius are to be closely monitored for signs to see if any manifest an instance of SCP-XXXX, at which point the operational shutdown process repeats.
At present, manifestations of SCP-XXXX appear to be exclusive to postal centers of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The Foundation has provided significant funding to the USPS in order to fund the destruction and reconstruction of postal centers in order to facilitate this process, and several Foundation-approved persons within the US government have been made aware of SCP-XXXX and its anomalous properties in order to assure swift action in the event of a new manifestation of SCP-XXXX.
Due to the aftermath of Incident XXXX-λ, personnel involved with the containment of SCP-XXXX are to only remain active in its containment for a maximum period of one month, after which they must be reassigned to other duties for at minimum one year before they can be reassigned to SCP-XXXX (see Incident Report XXXX-λ).
Description: SCP-XXXX is a postal department entitled "Office of Dead or Dying Letters" which manifests at currently operational postal centers of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Multiple instances of SCP-XXXX can be active simultaneously, with the largest documented number of simultaneous instances being 27. The manifestation of SCP-XXXX at a postal center poses no problem or confusion amongst personnel currently working at the affected center, and when asked about it postal workers at the affected center will talk as if the department has always been there.
The declared purpose of SCP-XXXX appears to be that of a dead letter office, or department designed to sort and process undeliverable mail. SCP-XXXX's anomalous properties manifest arbitrarily and at varying frequencies, and can affect all locations and households normally serviced by the affected postal center. Through means currently unknown, objects within the postal center's range will disappear and reappear within SCP-XXXX in packaging as if being delivered by mail. The objects affected by SCP-XXXX appear to be arbitrary, with the one exception that they must be something that is able to be packaged and sent through the mail. No changes to the objects are made during the disappearance and reappearance process unless the object in question must be altered in order to become acceptably packaged for mail delivery. Objects affected by SCP-XXXX range from small objects and documents that remain intact to large pieces of furniture that appear within SCP-XXXX dismantled. The owners of objects taken by SCP-XXXX are aware of their disappearance, but draw no connection to SCP-XXXX's involvement, and in most cases will not be further affected by SCP-XXXX in any way. In nearly all cases, objects that disappear have been inorganic (see Incident Report XXXX-λ).
Despite SCP-XXXX being labeled as an official department of the postal center at which it manifests, no postal workers at the affected center are assigned to work in SCP-XXXX and no other entities spawn to work within SCP-XXXX. Instead, individuals that inquire about missing mail at affected centers have their inquiry redirected to SCP-XXXX. Individuals that spend more than a few minutes within SCP-XXXX have a high likelihood of becoming an instance of SCP-XXXX-A. Instances of SCP-XXXX-A will begin to work ceaselessly within SCP-XXXX, sorting the letters and packages that appear within. The appearance of new instances SCP-XXXX-A receives no adverse response from postal workers at the affected center, believing SCP-XXXX-A to be a longstanding worker of the department. Despite their belief that they are processing undeliverable mail, work done by instances of SCP-XXXX-A amounts to nothing more than moving mail around the room aimlessly, as no item that appears within SCP-XXXX is ever willingly removed by SCP-XXXX-A or postal workers at the affected center. Instances of SCP-XXXX-A will make no attempt to do anything other than work on processing mail, including neglecting basic functions such as eating and sleeping. Instances of SCP-XXXX-A that are left on their own within SCP-XXXX will eventually expire from dehydration or exhaustion. The corpses of such instances of SCP-XXXX-A will at some point vanish from SCP-XXXX through unknown means.
Any attempts to monitor the interior of SCP-XXXX through audiovisual means have proved inconclusive, resulting in the disappearance of surveillance equipment via unknown means. An instance of SCP-XXXX-A that is forcefully removed from within SCP-XXXX will attempt to return to SCP-XXXX, even in a state of extreme sleep deprivation or exhaustion. These attempts will grow increasingly violent the further away SCP-XXXX-A is from SCP-XXXX. Once SCP-XXXX-A is outside of SCP-XXXX's area of effect, they will finally return to their normal state with no recollection of their time within SCP-XXXX.
Incident Report XXXX-λ: The following report was issued by the research team overseeing the containment following the death of Researcher Neale.
Due to the perceived details concerning the death of Researcher Neale, we are now instating an official term of service for working with SCP-XXXX, to be reflected in SCP-XXXX's Special Containment Procedures. At the time of his death, Researcher Neale had been assigned to SCP-XXXX for 2 months and 7 days. On the morning of ██/██/20██, Researcher Neale was declared a missing person by the Foundation after vanishing some time the previous evening. Due to his involvement with SCP-XXXX, Foundation operatives searched the 4 locations of SCP-XXXX that were geographically closest to Researcher Neale's last known whereabouts (SCP-XXXX-231, -245, -301, and -358).
Despite Researcher Neale not appearing as an instance of SCP-XXXX-A in any of the searched locations, examination of packages within each instance of SCP-XXXX revealed the corpse of Researcher Neale within SCP-XXXX-245. Researcher Neale's body had been cleanly dismembered into six pieces (arms, legs, torso, and head) with each piece wrapped in brown paper and bubble wrap and stored in its own package. Examination of each of these body parts revealed that major internal organs were also removed through unknown means, which resulted in further discoveries of packages containing Researcher Neale's heart, brain, large intestine, lungs, and stomach. Thirty-four separate envelopes were also discovered, two of which contained Researcher Neale's eyeballs and the remaining thirty-two each containing one of Researcher Neale's teeth. Despite the state of the body, Researcher Neale's cause of death is at current unknown, as is the source of the dismemberment.
Foundation personnel are currently theorizing that the cause of this death was due to prolonged involvement with SCP-XXXX, as at the time Researcher Neale was the Foundation member who had spent the longest stretch of time assigned to SCP-XXXX. Unless future incident proves this theory otherwise, we will continue to instate a mandatory maximum assignment time of 1 month to work involving SCP-XXXX, with a mandatory annual time period between assignments to SCP-XXXX. Should this theory prove inaccurate or there are any additional developments in the containment or known properties of SCP-XXXX, this report and all information within are to be stricken from the official containment procedures and archived.
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be kept in a standard humanoid containment cell. No member of the genus Apis (honey bee) is to be brought within 10 meters of SCP-XXXX. All requests for non-essential cell items made by SCP-XXXX that do not violate the previous requirement are up to the decision of the head researcher overseeing SCP-XXXX.
Description: SCP-XXXX is a 17-year-old Caucasian male who goes by the name Max ███████ and originally lived in ███████, North Dakota. SCP-XXXX's outward appearance is unremarkable for a human of his age save for a thin vertical incision in his upper abdomen, 28 cm in length, running from the top of the sternum to just above the navel. The abdomen skin on either side of the incision has a much higher elasticity than normal skin, and so the incision can be widened rather easily and painlessly, with release of the skin causing an immediate return to the incision's normal unstretched state.
In lieu of any internal organs, SCP-XXXX's abdominal cavity consists of a dense system of honeycombs populated by a large number of honey bees of varying species. Any sound made by these honey bees is not audible when the incision is in its unstretched state, nor are smells produced by the bees and honeycombs olfactible in the same state. All attempts at internal imaging of SCP-XXXX display results compatible with normal internal organs and bone structure. Despite compliance from SCP-XXXX, attempts to probe the layout and depth of the internal cavity have resulted in extreme aggression from the bees within, with the resulting swarm making both manual and camera-based examination deep within the cavity impossible. Due to the large number of bees that SCP-XXXX claims are inhabiting his abdominal cavity as well as the fact that he claims no bee that enters him has ever left, it is theorized that the cavity is actually far larger than its outward appearance, although tests at the given time have been unable to provide conclusive proof.
If SCP-XXXX comes within 10 meters of any species of honey bee, all bees within that range will proceed to "swarm" around SCP-XXXX's upper chest. During this swarm, bees will remain docile and will not attack or sting as long as other persons do not interfere with their interaction with SCP-XXXX. Upon this swarming, the bees will not move away from SCP-XXXX until he widens his incision, at which point all swarming bees will proceed to enter the abdominal cavity. No honey bee that enters SCP-XXXX has been observed exiting SCP-XXXX since he entered Foundation custody.
While SCP-XXXX is acutely aware of his anomalous properties, he does not seem bothered by them, instead taking great solace and enjoyment with the introduction of new bees to the internal colony. When asked about how the colony within him feels, SCP-XXXX responded by saying that he "doesn't really feel weird or uncomfortable at all" with it.
Interview XXXX
Waters directly over Point XXXX-Neptune, the deepest point of SCP-XXXX
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: A rectangular naval perimeter measuring 8 km x 21 km is to be established around SCP-XXXX, such that any point on the perimeter is no less than 3 km away from SCP-XXXX. No fewer than 6 patrol boats and 4 submersibles are to monitor this perimeter at all times. All Foundation personnel that enter this perimeter must be briefed beforehand on the nature of SCP-XXXX. The waters within the perimeter have been publicly marked as off-limits for civilians, and any non-authorized watercraft which enters the secure perimeter is to be swiftly detained by Foundation patrol units and all trespassers issued a Class-A amnestic before being returned to waters outside the perimeter.
Foundation operatives are stationed in positions within the Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard at all ports within 50 km of SCP-XXXX, and are tasked with monitoring non-military naval activity and providing a cover story involving large masses of plastics and other debris within the perimeter of SCP-XXXX making it unsafe for naval vessels. Images of SCP-XXXX on online satellite-imaging programs are to be replaced with a suitable image of debris-filled ocean to corroborate this cover up.
Description: SCP-XXXX is a large underwater trench in the Indian Ocean, located 37 km west of the town of █████████, Indonesia. SCP-XXXX is approximately 15 km in length, and measures 2 km across at its widest point. Its deepest point, without alteration from its anomalous effects, is measured at 1,074 m. The ridge which delineates the edge of SCP-XXXX is located at a depth of 28 m.
SCP-XXXX's anomalous properties begin taking effect as soon as an individual has direct line of sight with any portion of SCP-XXXX or comes within 500 meters of it, whichever comes first. Any preconceived notions an individual has about SCP-XXXX before entering SCP-XXXX's zone of effect will become actualized as soon as the individual enters the zone of effect, as long as the preconceived notion is contained completely within SCP-XXXX. The waters directly above SCP-XXXX, for example, are not affected by its anomalous properties. If a preconception about SCP-XXXX is not contained completely within SCP-XXXX, SCP-XXXX appears as an ordinary trench with the aforementioned dimensions. Individuals within SCP-XXXX cannot create or destroy actualizations by changing their preconceptions or being given new preconceptions; such changes can only take place if the individual is outside the zone of effect of SCP-XXXX.
Any actualizations within SCP-XXXX brought about by an individual's preconceptions can only be perceived by the individual who conceived it. Despite this, actualizations are not illusory or intangible in nature, and can still be interacted with by individuals. Hostile actualizations can cause physical harm to individuals, including death. Any injuries sustained from an actualization of SCP-XXXX will be consistent with injuries expected to be sustained by a real-life version of the actualization (see Testing Log XXXX for examples).
The anomalous effects of SCP-XXXX become unstable in the event that an individual enters SCP-XXXX with no preconceptions, or with the preconception that they know nothing about SCP-XXXX. In such cases, SCP-XXXX displays [DATA EXPUNGED] which can prove detrimental for the mental health of individuals involved if not given immediate psychiatric attention.
Excerpts from Testing Log XXXX
Test subjects were chosen based on a prior experience with deep-sea diving. All subjects had no prior knowledge of SCP-XXXX and were falsely briefed about the properties of SCP-XXXX in order to create a preconception. All test subjects were then equipped with diving gear outfitted with an internal two-way communication device capable of functioning at depths up to 1,000 m.
Test XXXX-3638 Audio Transcript
Subject: D-3638
Test Lead: Dr. August Kowalski
Notes: Subject was told that SCP-XXXX contained treasure and valuables from old pirate vessels. Log begins after subject has entered SCP-XXXX.
<Begin Log>
Dr. Kowalski: What do you see?
D-3638: Nothing yet… hold on, there's something. On a ridge just below me.
Dr. Kowalski: Please approach it.
D-3638: It's some kind of wooden chest. Looks old. (Subject pauses.) Look, doc, this thing isn't dangerous or anything, right?
Dr. Kowalski: Not at all. Please open it.
D-3638 opens the chest.
Dr. Kowalski: What is inside?
D-3638: Gold coins. Like a shit-ton of golden coins. They all have little symbols on them that I can't make out.
Dr. Kowalski: Is there anything else of particular note in or around the chest?
D-3638: Not that I can see.
Dr. Kowalski: Please pick up some of the coins.
D-3638: They're… just coins. Don't look weird, don't feel weird, aren't doing anything weird. Huh. Was honestly expecting something terrible to happen, cuz there's no way in hell you people wou-
Dr. Kowalski: That's enough for now, D-3638. You may return to the surface. Feel free to bring some of those coins with you.
D-3638: Got it, just don't go robbing me when I get up there.
D-3638 approaches top point of SCP-XXXX and lets out a gasp of shock.
D-3638: Fuck!
Dr. Kowalski: What is the matter?
D-3638: The goddamn gold is gone! It just fucking disappeared! Did you know this would happen? Of course you did, you know about everything. Well thanks for the tease, asshole.
<End Log>
Test XXXX-2189 Audio Transcript
Subject: D-2189
Test Lead: Dr. Hermann Schulze
Notes: Subject was told that SCP-XXXX contains a large, hostile, eel-like monster, and that the purpose of the excursion was solely to take photographs. Log begins 15 minutes after subject enters SCP-XXXX.
<Begin Log>
D-2189: Jesus. Where the hell is this thing anyway? I want to take my photo and get the hell out.
Dr. Schulze: Be patient, D-2189.
D-2189: Well, I've already been pa- what was that. I just saw something below me. Is it the eel thing? I'm going to go a bit lower to see- OH GOD!
D-2189 begins screaming, ceases to respond to prompts from Dr. Schulze. Dr. Schulze orders immediate resurfacing. Screaming stops.
Dr. Schulze: We're pulling you up D-2189. Can you hear me? (Pause.) Alright, it looks like you're surfacing now… oh… Jesus Christ, that's… someobody get Dr. ██████ over here immediately I think… maybe it's too late now though.
<End Log>
Afterword: D-2189's body was discovered to have over 30 bite marks consistent with an enlarged version of the bite of the giant moray eel (Gymnothorax javanicus).
Test XXXX-4195/4376 Audio Transcript
Subjects: D-4195, D-4376
Test Lead: Dr. August Kowalski
Notes: Subjects were briefed separately and were not allowed to confer with each other until entering SCP-XXXX. D-4195 was informed that the trench was shallow and only went to a distance of 15 m below the top of the trench. D-4376 was informed that the trench was of its actual dimensions. Both were told that the trench was devoid of life and contained nothing dangerous. Communication device modified to allow communication between subjects that could still be recorded. Log begins as subjects are about to enter SCP-XXXX.
<Begin Log>
Dr. Kowalski: Alright, please dive down and enter SCP-XXXX.
Both subjects make small noises of affirmation. No talking for around two minutes.
D-4195: Ok, I see the bottom. Nothing of interest to report.
D-4376: Where do you see the bottom ██████?
D-4195: Um, it's right in front of us. Right there. All that sand and shit.
Dr. Kowalski: D-4195, please proceed to touch the bottom of SCP-XXXX.
D-4195: Roger.
D-4376: You're just sticking your hand out into the water ██████, there's no ground there.
D-4195: Wait, are you saying you don't see the bottom?
D-4376: Well yeah, of course, this is a pretty deep trench. There wouldn't be a bottom here.
D-4195: Deep? You call 15 meters deep ████?
D-4376: What?
Dr. Kowalski: D-4376, you may continue to dive deeper if you're able.
D-4376: Got it.
D-4376 proceeds to dive further down towards the perceived bottom.
D-4195: Come on, ██████, you're going to run into th- (D-4376 passes beyond the perceived bottom.) What the fuck? What the FUCK!? Holy shit, doctor, you gotta take us back up, now.
Dr. Kowalski: What's the matter, D-4195?
D-4195: She's… ██████ is… oh God I think I'm about to puke in here… her body is just…
D-4376: Um… what are you going on about ████? I'm fi-
D-4195: I… I think she's dead doctor. She was approaching the bottom and then all of a sudden… oh God…
D-4376: ████ what the fuck are you going on about!? I'm-
D-4195: Let me come back up, doctor… please….
D-4376: I'M RIGHT FUCKING UNDER YOU!
D-4195 sobs softly.
Dr. Kowalski: Alright, that's enough. You can come back, both of you.
<End Log>
Test XXXX-7731 Audio Transcript
Subject: D-7731
Test Lead: Dr. Georgia Anker
Notes: Subject was told nothing about the nature of SCP-XXXX. Log begins directly before subject enters SCP-XXXX.
<Begin Log>
Dr. Anker: You may begin your dive, D-7731.
D-7731: Alright.
No talking for around three minutes.
Dr. Anker: Do you see anything?
D-7731: Nothing at the moment, but it's hard to see much of anything, even with the lamplight.
Dr. Anker: Alright, just let me know when you see something.
D-7731: Got it.
No talking for around two minutes, then a quiet static interference can be heard, growing in volume.
Dr. Anker: D-7731, is everything alright down there?
D-7731: Yeah, it's… [INAUDIBLE] …can't quite… [INAUDIBLE] …something big.
Dr. Anker: Please start your return to the surface D-7731, your equipment seems-
A large burst of static coupled with a loud bellowing sound.
D-7731: Doctor? Doctor are… [INAUDIBLE] …I can see a… [INAUDIBLE]
Dr. Anker: I repeat, please return to the surface D-7731, immediately.
D-7731: I think- (Static completely overtakes the subject.)
[AUDIO EXPUNGED]
Dr. Anker: Can you hear me now!? Hello? D-7731?
D-7731: Cold… everything… cold…
Dr. Anker: Oh thank God she's still alive! Keep reeling her up, she's almost back.
D-7731: I am… here now… I am… who… can I return?
Dr. Anker: D-7731, are you able to answer my questions?
D-7731 breathes heavily but does not respond.
Dr. Anker: If you're able to, tell me… what the hell happened down there?
D-7731: Cold… return… down… down… I want to go… down…
Dr. Anker: Shit. Just hang in there D-7731, we'll have you back in no time.
D-7731: I am here now… yes… I am here… down here… yes… he wants me there.
<End Log>
Interview XXXX
Interviewed: Annisa ███████
Interviewer: Dr. Georgia Anker
Foreward: Annisa ███████ is a local widow from the town of █████████, the closest town to SCP-XXXX. Her family has lived in the area for over three centuries.
<Begin Log>
Dr. Anker: So you've lived in the area a long time, Ms. ███████?
Annisa ███████: Yes, my whole life. All 42 years of it.
Dr. Anker: And what can you tell me about the trench?
Annisa ███████: It's a legend that's been told in my family since my great-grandfather. I come from a family of fishermen, you see. My grandfather first told me the story when I was a child. He called it Bolongan saka kepinginan [trans. "Hole of Desire"]. My grandfather told me scary stories about that place, and about the monster that lived there.
Dr. Anker: Monster?
Annisa ███████: Yes, there's a monster that lives in that pit. But it's not just any ordinary monster, my grandfather told me. It's a monster that's willing to give you whatever you want. If you really want something, he said, it will appear in the pit. Anything you want. And you get happy, because you know you're so close to getting whatever you want. But the you realize that what you want is deep below the waves, and you would most likely die trying to get whatever it is. And even if you do manage to get it, my grandfather said, you can't even take it back with you. It'll just be there, forever.
Dr. Anker: Is this legend known throughout your home village?
Annisa ███████: This story is known only to my family. It's been passed down for over four generations, as far as I know.
Dr. Anker: Has anyone to your knowledge attempted to enter the trench?
Subject goes quiet for a few seconds before responding.
Annisa ███████: When I was 20 my father left the house one day to sail to the pit. He had borrowed a diving suit off a friend. He said he had to see if it was true. If he… could really get something back.
Dr. Anker: Do you know what he wanted?
Annisa ███████: My mother. She had died the previous year. He wanted to see if she was there, and if she could come back with him, come back home. And he never came back.
Dr. Anker: I'm… sorry for your loss.
Annisa ███████: I hope he got to see her again. But… (Hesitates before continuing) my grandfather did tell me one more thing about that place, about what truly made it so dangerous. If you went there and didn't have a desire, didn't know what you wanted, then… then the monster came. And it took you. To the bottom of the pit.
Dr. Anker: Do you believe this monster took your father?
Subject appears uneasy, looks down at table.
Annisa ███████: When he went out that day… I could tell. This was his last ditch effort. He never believed my grandfather's stories. He thought they were nonsense. So… when he got there, that day, to look for my mother, I… I don't think he truly believed. I don't think he had any idea what he wanted from the pit, had any idea what he would find there. But he went anyway. And he dived. And the monster took him away.
<End Log>
Addendum: In the wake of information revealed in Interview XXXX, all tests in which subjects are not given any information about SCP-XXXX are to be suspended indefinitely. Ms. Annisa ███████ is the only surviving member of her family, and has stated that the story involving SCP-XXXX is known to no-one but her. The Foundation has signed a strict gag order on the information, and Ms. Annisa ███████ has been allowed to return to her home village on the agreement of being kept under Foundation surveillance. Should a similar story be found circulating in the surrounding area, involved individuals are to be immediately taken in for questioning.