Item #: SCP-717

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-717 is encased within Site-██, publicly known as the ██████████ Observatory. Observatory dome must remain closed from 10:30pm to 3:30am or when SCP-717 is active. A minimum of twelve armed guards are to be stationed outside Site-██ during all hours. Flamethrowers and flash-bang grenades are to be secured in the guardhouse in case of emergency.

Internal temperature of Site-██ is not to exceed 10 degrees Celsius. Only one of Site-██'s internal spotlights can be on at any time, but should be dimmed if SCP-717 is active. No more than 3 (three) persons may enter at any time, and no more than 2 (two) of these may be on-site security. Visiting staff are advised to wear warm, darkly colored clothing and light-amplification visors while within Site-██. Staff are permitted to bring flashlights or flares but may not use them outside of an emergency. No radios or cell-phones permitted.

If SCP-717's containment becomes compromised for any reason, all floodlights within Site-██ are to be activated and sirens are to sound within the facility. All personnel are to evacuate the site and equip flamethrowers until receiving further instructions.

See description for procedures relating to SCP-717's individual components.

Description: SCP-717 is the ruins of a two-story Victorian style home hidden within Site-██, specifically the remains of the guest bedroom on the upper story. Although the walls of the hallway leading to SCP-717 have burnt through, the doorway to the room is to remain closed at all times. Staff are required to knock gently upon the door once for each member of staff present before entering, even for routine maintenance. All other doors within the house have been removed.

SCP-717-1 is a white cloth mannequin and is to be kept within this room at all times, preferably seated before its table. Staff are to note its position and markings once per day. Any changes or signs of movement are to be reported immediately. A lamp, set of writing implements, large block letters and a modified Ouija board must be kept on the table before SCP-717-1.

No other items are to be placed on this table. If SCP-717-1 shows signs of movement, one staff member is to sit at the table and remain in the room with it. The staff member present must turn on the lamp and point at the word "WAIT" on the modified Ouija board, then immediately shut the lamp off. Staff is advised to remain quiet and breathe steadily until relieved.

SCP-717-2 is sealed behind a titanium alloy vault door, lined with a plating of [REDACTED] alloy. It is mounted on the wall behind SCP-717-1. The vault is to remain sealed per mutual agreement. If any whistling is heard from the vault, maintenance must be performed immediately to prevent a breach.

If the SCP-717-2 vault is breached from the far side, it is to be considered a hostile act. Communication with SCP-717 is to immediately cease and staff are to equip weapons to repel invaders.

Addendum: Unauthorized staff are not permitted to communicate with SCP-717-1 beyond requesting its patience while authorized personnel arrive. This can possibly take days, and SCP-717-1 should understand this. Prolonged exposure to SCP-717-1 can produce feelings of unease and discomfort. This is attributed to its jerky, twitching movements as well as the mannequin's limp neck and unnatural chill. Although direct exposure to the entity within SCP-717-1 has been shown to cause [DATA EXPUNGED] therefore it can safely be assumed that SCP-717 is even less enthusiastic about contact than we are.

If authorized personnel do not arrive within 24 hours, staff on site may leave the room after tapping the word "WAIT" three times in succession. A member of staff is to return once every 24 hours to ask SCP-717-1 to "WAIT" again until authorized personnel arrive.

Personnel with BETA clearance or higher should see also document #017-1.

Incident Log

Testimony of survivor M███ E████ H██████, age 17, Jan 31st 1962.

Ms. H██████: … [we] came to this house because we heard all the old rumors about it, about the old cult that used to worship in its basement, and we wanted to see if we could use our Ouija board to contact the spirits here. At first all we found was construction stuff and the whole place smelled of paint. We looked around in the basement and a lot of the furniture had been moved down there and covered with sheets and I remember seeing it there now that I think about it.

Agent ████: Seeing what?

Ms. H██████: The dummy, it was hanging on a hook, leaning against a wardrobe. We all laughed at it, thought it was a ghost at first. Then we went upstairs and lit some candles and got out the board.

Agent ████: Then what happened?

Ms. H██████: Right away it got really, really cold. We started asking questions and every answer we got was GET OUT and then ████ grabbed the pointer and just kept spelling STOP over and over. ████ said her hands were numb and she couldn't move them on her own. The candles were flickering but there were shadows on the board that weren't moving… then there was this loud banging in the basement and I got up to run but I tripped.

Ms. H██████ takes several minutes to compose herself before continuing.

Ms. H██████: I think that's when the candles got knocked over… All the fresh paint and fumes…

Agent ████: The fire was an accident. I just need you to focus on the incident.

Ms. H██████: There was something dark staining the wallpaper and it started peeling away all over the room. I think there was writing under the paper, some of it was already there. This wind came from nowhere, like everything was being sucked towards the dark spot in the wall, but it just made the flames get bigger. The flames were between me and the others, that's why I… When it came through the wall ████ just broke… like a statue. Like she was frozen. It was like waves of black curtains blowing out of the wall, and there was this wailing. There were hands and faces and other things grabbing at the others, smothering them, but they couldn't get through the flames to me. I ran downstairs and the basement door was slamming open and shut. I had to pass it to get to the front door and that thing, the dummy, it skittered up the stairs like a bug and its hands were covered with blood. It was climbing the walls and it tore at all the wallpaper, smearing that blood all over. It wouldn't let me leave, it never touched me but it would get in my way. Make me look at it.

Agent ████: Was it writing on the walls?

Ms. H██████: It wrote STOP STOP STOP all over the walls and doors. The fire was coming closer so I shoved at it. It started burning and then it was bleeding, blood was gushing from its stomach and face while it tried to crawl out of the fire. Some of its blood got on me as I ran out the door.

Ms. H██████: I could see the fire trucks coming, but when they came, the firemen ran right past me. They didn't see me where I fell in the bushes, and they never came back out. I didn't feel it at the time, but that thing's blood, it made my legs numb. They're broken too, aren't they? They broke apart like ████ did. Please tell me, the doctors won't let me look…

Ms. H██████ was treated with Class A Amnestic and the remains of her legs were amputated. Tissue damage was consistent with the frozen remains recovered from the ashes. The mannequin showed no unusual properties after being removed from the site of SCP-717. The stains on its hands were from black paint found in the basement, not blood. No unexpected substance was found in its material.

Contact was established with the SCP-717 entity/entities after a second mannequin animated in the basement. Containment procedures were agreed upon and SCP-717 was dormant for the next thirty years until it became active to negotiate the cessation of certain activities. Under no circumstances are any containment staff to enter into negotiations with SCP-717.