An unlikely occurrence in downtown Minneapolis - SCP Foundation

The street was quiet, and cold. It numbed his fingertips as he walked along the sidewalk, passing a number of old worn-down buildings. He considered the amount of history these places had, before glancing at a sign stating "Est. 1986" on the side of one restaurant. It wasn't particularly ancient as he had thought beforehand, just left unpolished. Perhaps the owner had lost his passion long ago and simply left it to dry and crack in the unkind northern winter. This was a meaningless thought though, the place was very busy, and he could hear the enjoyment going on inside. Maybe a couple was having the first date of a life-long relationship, or a family is dining in on a road trip. Regardless, the building exuded a comfortable feeling. It was the most popular one on the street as far as he could see.

The man was taken aback by the feeling, it extended into his weary soul like a knife through butter. It reminded him of the nice feeling he got when thinking back to his… What was it again? Fourth- No, his fifth-grade language arts class. He thought about the warmth of the classroom, and how reading relaxed his mind, tired from being startled awake by some long gone alarm clock. That was back when he had people who he enjoyed spending time with, sharing hobbies, and playing games with. Of course, this is all gone now. He decided to enter the restaurant (he had neglected to read the worn-out name plastered upon the brick wall) to savor that warm feeling for just a little longer.

Upon entering, he was met with a blast of warm air. He felt the melancholy mood that was building up simply wash away as the heat pushed over and around him. The food itself paled in comparison to this initial reaction, unfortunately. The man thanked his waiter, and paid the bill. He only had to order a single course to gather the quality of the place. He was still satisfied, however, as he hadn't come for the food anyway.

Stepping outside, he felt the cold chill pass over him once more, and the warmth he had just experienced no more than 30 minutes ago was amplified within his recollection of it. Reluctantly brushing aside the urge to step back inside the building, the man continued with his aimless walk down the seemingly unending sidewalk. He hadn't had much motivation since the incident back at… Well, the name was irrelevant now. All that remains are the memories.

The man walked for a great deal of time until he grew tired and the hunger pains returned. He believed that the walk was taking him south, as he could see a relatively urban location on the horizon. The towering buildings filled him with awe as a child, driving in to see family who had taken a life path different from his. The metropolis never appealed to him as anything but a collection of smog and filth which he could visit, but never take residence within. Regardless, the setting was still an interesting one, and h-

"Hey!"

And an impact. The feeling was far too familiar. The rubber stung on his cheek.

"Watch out!"

Damn kid. The man despised dodgeball, the other children would always target his face and knock his glasses off. Slightly overtaken by a haze of anger, snapped his gaze towards the voice.

"Sorry mister, we accidentally threw our ball over the fence, could you please grab it?"

What met his gaze was something inhuman. The grotesque abomination from behind the steel link fence, which he had assumed was the one speaking to him, had no orifices visible to allow such an act. The entity was somewhat humanoid in figure, adorn with clothing, and roughly the size of the child he had been expecting to see.

Its head was unnaturally small and somewhat oval shaped. Its skin was far too large for the things tiny head and was visually sagging down onto its shoulders. It had no hair, and where its facial features would've been were a series of holes which appeared to extend indefinitely into the head, as no amount of light could ever overcome the intense darkness within.

Then the man laughed. He burst into a fit of giggling at the sheer absurdity and insanity of what stood before him. It was so ridiculous he could not possibly take it seriously at all, and even considered the possibility that a waiter had slipped something into his drink during the meal earlier. Still, the sight made him uneasy.

When the man had finally come down from his fit of laughter, he grabbed the things rubber ball and hit it back over the fence for it. Suddenly, he was overtaken by a strange sense of curiosity. The strangeness of the incident put the speculative part of his brain into full throttle as he began to conjure up innumerable conspiracies about what may be going on within the confines of that building. Then, the thing spoke again.

"Are you alright? You look dazed."

The man began to open his mouth to respond, but decided to settle upon a simple thumbs up as he began to walk away. He would think back upon this occurrence with incredulity, having seen, but not believed.