SCP-4040

rating: +456+x
Item#: SCP-4040
Level3
Containment Class:
keter
Secondary Class:
none
Disruption Class:
keneq
Risk Class:
warning

Special Containment Procedures: Field personnel who encounter SCP-4040 are not to interact with it unless ordered to do so by Site-87 Command. Expedition teams sent to study SCP-4040 should consist of a minimum of four agents, with no expedition members being left alone for any prolonged period of time. Personnel sent to investigate SCP-4040 should be rated at a minimum of 72 on the Memetic Resistance Index.

Foundation personnel within Nexus-0018 are to avoid any non-essential conversation regarding SCP-4040, as SCP-4040 is believed to draw power from human narratives. Civilian residents of Nexus-0018 are also to be cautioned against creating or circulating narratives surrounding SCP-4040.

Description: SCP-4040 is a sinkhole of indeterminate depth located within Sloth's Forest of Sloth's Pit, Wisconsin (Nexus-0018). It has been measured to be 30.48 meters wide1, and possesses a single wooden step in front of it2. SCP-4040's precise location is not known, but it has yet to be determined if this is because it actually translocates or is merely a pretermemetic effect of the anomaly.

The folklore of Nx-18 asserts that the same person can never find SCP-4040 twice. This has been substantiated by Foundation expeditions into Sloth's Forest. None of the agents who discovered SCP-4040 were able to do so again upon subsequent visits, nor were they able to call additional personnel to their location. GPS signals and radio tracking were unable to provide precise locations, and nearby personnel were unable to hone in on the discoverer's voice, claiming it seemed to come from all directions. As Nx-18's primary anomaly is manifesting narratives circulated within its area of effect3, the folklore surrounding SCP-4040 is believed to be a significant factor in the Foundation's inability to locate it.

Drone exploration of SCP-4040 has proven infeasible, as radio signals fail to travel more than 30 meters into the sinkhole, and fully automated drones have failed to return. Estimating the depth of SCP-4040 with laser rangefinders, as well as with less sophisticated methods, has also proved inconclusive. Folklore regarding UAE Chapman-341 (The Goatman) claims that it was once baited into SCP-4040 in an attempt to neutralize it, but climbed back out after two days. This has been deemed a pataphysical manifestation of Sloth's Pit folklore, and is not useful as a means of estimating depth.

Both Foundation personnel and Nx-18 residents who have encountered SCP-4040 have reported the ambient sound dropping to near zero with barely audible whispers emanating from the sinkhole, as well as a noticeable sense of derealization, typically described as feeling like 'they're in a scene from a horror movie'. Viewing SCP-4040 from the sides will reveal nothing but darkness. However, viewing it from the front step has produced a variety of results (see exploration log).

According to historical records, SCP-4040 was formed on Christmas Day, 1890, beneath the mansion of Jackson Sloth4. The dwelling was completely consumed, along with Jackson Sloth, his wife Imogen, and their son Jasper. In addition to being the first major anomaly to occur in Sloth's Pit, the onset of anomalous phenomena that eventually led to the town being classified as Nexus-0018 was observed to begin immediately after SCP-4040 first manifested. It has thus been speculated that SCP-4040 may be an epicenter of pataphysical effects responsible for transforming Sloth's Pit into a Nexus.

Addendum, Selected SCP-4040 Exploration Logs:




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