Item #: SCP-6145

Object Class: Neutralized

Special Containment Procedures: Having been publicly discredited as a hoax by embedded physicians and medical practitioners at King James Medical College in 1749, no further containment of SCP-6145 is required. The remains of all seven instances of SCP-6145-1 have been preserved, and are presently on display at Site-24's Biological Containment Wing.

An engraving of Virginia Croft, published in the Weyford Tribunal in October of 1749.

Description: SCP-6145 was an anomalous occurrence on May 30, 1749, where Virginia Croft, a resident of Weyford, England, gave birth to a set of seven non-anomalous Oryctolagus cuniculus (European rabbits). Both Croft and the rabbits (hereafter referred to as SCP-6145-1) survived this process. The incident received significant coverage from the British press, and was successfully contained by His Majesty's Foundation for the Secure Containment of the Paranormal (HMFSCP)1 in November of the same year through implementation of a cover story.

History: Virginia Croft, a 29 year old widow who had previously survived seven miscarriages, was unable to provide a definitive explanation for SCP-6145. She reported experiencing an unusually vivid dream roughly five weeks prior, which she was able to describe in detail. Croft recounted finding herself in a vast field of orchids beneath an immense full moon, where she engaged in silent dance with a tall, well-dressed humanoid bearing leporine physical features.

Upon awakening from this dream, Croft recalled discovering a mature male rabbit perched atop her bedspread, which immediately departed through an open window. She further noted that in the following weeks, while exhibiting no typical symptoms of pregnancy, she experienced an unusual craving for grass, twigs and leafy vegetation. Croft, who had no known living relatives at the time of SCP-6145, did not initially inform any other persons of the occurrence.

Discovery: On August 12, Weyford physician Dr. Gordon Whitely witnessed Croft breastfeeding several instances of SCP-6145-1 outside her home, whereupon she confessed to the extranormal circumstances of their birth. While initially skeptical, Whitely later testified that he was intrigued by the rabbits' behavior, and requested to perform a cervical examination on Mrs. Croft. Croft agreed to this procedure, under the condition that Dr. Whitely inform no others of his findings. This examination confirmed Croft's claims to be accurate.

The following week, Whitely informed several of his colleagues at King James Medical College of Croft's claims, which included several of Britain's most prominent physicians of the time. The resulting media fixation on Croft's claims attracted the attention of HMFSCP, who interrogated Dr. Whitely and determined his findings to be credible. As this incident occurred over two centuries prior to the development of amnestics, His Majesty's Foundation instead focused on discrediting the anomaly.

Mrs. Croft was asked to make a public statement, confessing that the events of SCP-6145 had been a hoax orchestrated by herself alone. Croft refused to comply with the Foundation's demands, unless all instances SCP-6145-1 were returned to her possession. Unbeknownst to Croft, by this point, all SCP-6145-1 had been transported to Facility-α2 for dissection, and were awaiting further testing.

On November 3, HMFSCP agent Dr. Philip Strangerson issued an official statement to King James Medical College, reporting that no evidence had been found to support Croft's claims. Strangerson further testified that based on their interactions, he believed Croft was likely to be suffering from grief-induced hysteria following multiple miscarriages, and the death of her husband from tuberculosis in 1746.

No further investigation was conducted into SCP-6145, and Dr. Gordon Whitely resigned his position at King James Medical College in January 1749. Mrs. Croft was later admitted to a private psychiatric institution, where she died of undisclosed causes on November 10, 1753. She was buried in an unmarked grave in Whitelake Cemetery, several kilometers outside her home town.

Aftermath: On November 10, 1754, a small group of mourners attending a funeral at Whitelake Cemetery reported witnessing several dozen juvenile rabbits belonging to a variety of species assembling at a site facing the graveyard's west entrance. Each instance was reputedly holding a single flower in its mouth, which were deposited at a specific point before departing in unison through the west gate.

Subsequent exhumation of this site revealed the presence of human remains, which were later confirmed to be those of Virginia Croft. In order to prevent similar transgressions from occurring in the future, Croft's corpse was removed, and transported to Facility-α for incineration. No further anomalous activity has been reported in Weyford since.

Addendum: In 2003, Site-24 Director Jacqueline Fleming issued following statement regarding SCP-6145 and the circumstances which followed:

Throughout this organization's history, countless men and women, field agent and civilian alike, have endured untold sacrifice for the sake preserving normalcy. Few of these cases however, have garnered the same level of notoriety, and intense scrutiny over the ensuing years, as that of Virginia Croft.

Mrs. Croft lived in the tumultuous and uncertain era of our forefathers, who were only beginning to probe the mechanics of the impossible. They did not have access to such conveniences as the modern amnestic techniques we take for granted. As a result, they had little choice but to resort to less scrupulous methods of containment, leading to unfortunate, and often tragic consequences.

Bearing this in mind, I am pleased to announce that Site-24's forthcoming nature preserve, dedicated to the care and study of anomalous wildlife in all its forms, will hereafter officially be known as the Croft Wing.

Secure. Contain. Protect.

Footnotes

1. Foundation precursor organization, active primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1738 and 1918.

2. Since designated Site-24.

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