The SCP Foundation

SCP-1233

Item #: SCP-1233

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1233 is contained in a vacuum-isolated, anechoic chamber on Site-█. Containment personnel must wear Class-8 soundproof isolation suits at all times when handling the instrument. To avoid the risk of massive casualties, all musical tests using the instrument are to be performed in its containment chamber. Due to the extremely low frequencies of the active object, deaf personnel cannot be reliably considered immune to its negative effects.

Description: SCP-1233 is a hand-made didgeridoo exhibiting anomalous properties. The instrument is entirely composed of petrified wood, more specifically [REDACTED], a species of proto-eucalypt that flourished in [DATA EXPUNGED], at least ten thousand years before the first human settlements on the Australian continent. The narrow end of the instrument is coated in a thin layer of black beeswax, which acts as a mouthpiece. The barrel is painted with regular geometric patterns, although carbon-dating of paint samples reveal the markings to be a more recent addition. The object appears to be far less worn than its apparently great age would indicate.

SCP-1233 was recovered at the ███████ Theatre in ██████, Australia on █/█/███, following police reports of the simultaneous death of the all the theatre's occupants during a performance of traditional Aboriginal music. The only survivor of the incident, a local musician [DATA EXPUNGED] institutionalized, suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

When played normally, the instrument functions as expected. Its dangerous effects only manifest when it is played in such a way as to emit sonic frequencies of [REDACTED]. When the instrument hits this frequency for more than thirty (30) seconds, it enters its first stage of anomalous behavior. At this point, the bodily tissues of any mammalian or reptilian organism capable of hearing the sound waves emitting from SCP-1233 become transparent. The effect manifests itself almost immediately, and causes no discomfort or unusual reactions in its victims. Some test subjects report mild disorientation as a result of being able to see through their own eyelids. Only surfaces which are directly contacted by the vibrations are affected: while skin and outer muscular structures develop refractive indices comparable to glass, internal organs are not affected. The transparency effect can be halted by blocking out vibrations through soundproofing or removal of the test subjects from hearing range of the instrument.

SCP-1233 enters its harmful state when the note is held for more than two (2) minutes. At this point, any living beings undergoing the transparency effect will develop immediate, full-body paralysis, normally falling prone. Subjects appear to develop unusually erect and regular posture in the seconds before full paralysis ensues. Paralyzed victims appear fully aware, although they are immobile beyond eye movement and breathing. Once all transparent beings within audible range of the didgeridoo are completely subdued, the instrument enters its so-called 'surgical' state. Over the next half-hour (30 minutes), all paralyzed victims develop dozens (14-30) of deep lacerations, starting in the lower extremities and working their way upwards. The incisions pass through all tissues, including bone, and run parallel to the vertical axis of the body.

Test subjects generally remain conscious until the cuts reach the lungs or heart. There is little to no bleeding — at the point of incision, blood is transmuted to a mixture of purified iron oxide and [DATA EXPUNGED] consistent with rock formations at Uluru. Once all test subjects are completely incised into vertical slices, SCP-1233 will cease to emit sound. The resultant slices have an unusually yellow-red colouration, and have been noted to closely resemble certain forms of traditional Australian "Dreamtime" artwork. Slices of SCP-1233 victims are remarkably resistant to decomposition, and appear to have naturally antibiotic properties. Research is ongoing. During the initial cutting phase, victims can be saved, normally at the cost of their lower extremities.

Subjects operating the device during its active states report being compelled to keep doing so, and also demonstrate unusually elevated lung capacity and a noted lack of exhaustion. The cutting and transparency phases of SCP-1233's effects can be halted at any time by physically impeding the musician or blocking the sound, although no musician using the object has ever been able to overcome the compulsion to continue playing it. A successful 'performance' on SCP-1233 will almost invariably induce severe PTSD in musicians playing it, although they undergo no physical harm.