Item#: 4976

Containment Class: safe

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: vlam

Risk Class: notice

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-4976-2 must be a member of Foundation personnel with a security clearance level of at least 2/4976 and must be either C- or B-Class personnel. Should the ability of SCP-4976-2 to possess SCP-4976-1 be compromised, a successor is to be chosen by the Project Director.

A given year's instance of SCP-4976-3 is to be confiscated from SCP-4976-2 one week after it is initially received. It is then to be stored in an archive publicly available to all site personnel with Level 3/4976 security clearance or higher. This excludes SCP-4976-2, who, after the initial week, may never view SCP-4976-3 instances without explicit permission from the Project Director.

Confirmation of SCP-4976-1's presence in the possession of SCP-4976-2 is to be performed 183 days after the most recent instance of SCP-4976-3 was received. Should SCP-4976-2 discover SCP-4976-1 is absent from their possession at any point, they are to immediately report it to the Project Director.

SCP-4976-1 is currently in the possession of Junior Researcher Jacob Hernandez due to his willingness to receive SCP-4976-3 and his involvement in its discovery.

Description: SCP-4976 is the collective designation given to a phenomenon involving a receipt (SCP-4976-1), a series of photo albums (SCP-4976-3), and individuals affected by both (SCP-4976-2).

SCP-4976-1 is a receipt, seemingly for the purchase of a commercially-produced vacation photo album, dated 17/09/1976. On the back, the words "Let's do it again sometime, shall we?" are written in what appears to be charcoal. SCP-4976-1 shows visible signs of mild to moderate water damage, but the writing is somehow not affected.

SCP-4976-1's anomalous effects manifest when it is in the possession of an individual who is aware of its presence in their possession. This individual is hereby designated SCP-4976-2.

SCP-4976-2 will begin to receive unmarked photo albums annually in mid-late September. These photo albums will not contain photos of SCP-4976-2 themselves, but photos taken by others for the purpose of vacation documentation in which SCP-4976-2 was unintentionally present. This presence does not need to be full, but usually includes SCP-4976-2's face, a significant or recognizable portion of the clothing SCP-4976-2 was wearing at the time, or other identifiable quality. These albums are designated SCP-4976-3, with each year's instance being designated based on the year it was received (the instance received in 2001 would be SCP-4976-3-2001, for example).

After approximately two weeks of continued exposure to SCP-4976-3 (exposure is considered to be possession and regular viewing of the album), SCP-4976-2's memories of the past year will begin to change. This change takes place in four stages.

Stage 1 is characterized by a marked increase in the clarity of SCP-4976-2's memories of the moments documented in SCP-4976-3.

Stage 2 begins after approximately one month of continued exposure, and is defined by SCP-4976-2 being resistant or unwilling to give up SCP-4976-3. If SCP-4976-3 is successfully confiscated, the effects of Stage 2 should subside within approximately a week. However, if it is not, SCP-4976-2 will soon progress to Stage 3.

During Stage 3, SCP-4976-2 will note the appearance of new memories alongside their old ones, seemingly from the perspective of the intended subjects of the photos in the album, and the content of which includes the events several seconds before, during, and after the capture of the photograph.

Upon reaching Stage 4, these new memories completely replace the old memories. If questioned on a given photograph, SCP-4976-2 will refer to the intended subject of the photograph in the first person, and to themselves in the third person. All other memories remain intact. While SCP-4976-2 is aware there has been a change in their memories, they are not aware what change has occurred unless explicitly told. It is unknown why this knowledge does not carry over between instances of Stage 4.

Stages 3 and 4 seemingly occur for different photographs at random rates, but all complete before the next instance of SCP-4976-3 is received.

Should the identity of SCP-4976-2 change throughout the year, SCP-4976-3 will be received by the current SCP-4976-2 within the expected time frame but will contain photographs containing each subject who acted as SCP-4976-2 for any significant portion of that year.

The proportion of the photographs of the secondary SCP-4976-2 instances to the total number of photos in the album will be approximately equal to the proportion of the year during which the given SCP-4976-2 instance, current or former, was in possession of SCP-4976-1.

If there are not enough photographs in which SCP-4976-2 was unintentionally included to meet this proportion, then all such photos will be included in the album and the remainder will be divided among the year's other SCP-4976-2 subjects based upon the same proportionate rules.

+ [ENTER LEVEL 4/4976 SECURITY CREDENTIALS]

- [VERIFICATION SUCCESSFUL]

Addendum: On 17/9/2021, what is believed to be SCP-4976-3-1976 was discovered by a patrol officer on the shore of Lake ███████████ within ████████ County, ███████. It showed signs of heavy water damage and contained spaces for 183 photographs, all but one of which contained a Polaroid photograph. Only 107 of the photographs remained intact and salvageable, while the final space was empty. Several of the photographs had charcoal writing on their backs. A list of notable texts written on the photographs is compiled below.

They found us.

Partial List of Recovered Documents

Page Number: 1

Image Description: Three people standing together. Middle person, a Hispanic or Caucasian male aged 17-19, has arms around other two's shoulders. Other two are an Asian female and a Caucasian male, both aged 17-19. All are grinning. Background contains what appears to be a theme park.

Text of Message: What happened to us?

Too much.

Page Number: 3

Image Description: Two individuals, both Caucasian males aged 17-19, smile and give thumbs-ups. They are sitting at a restaurant table, each with a large platter of food, mostly that which would be served at a Fourth of July celebration, in front of them.

Text of Message: Where did you go?

We can't answer that.

Page Number: 4

Image Description: Photograph too damaged to determine.

Text of Message: Why won't you tell me?

If we did, you would be in danger.

Page Number: 13

Image Description: Several individuals of varying race, age, and gender sit around a campfire.

Text of Message: We're all here.

That's right. Back then, we were all safe.

Page Number: 21

Image Description: Two females, one who appears to be of Afro-Asiatic descent and another (whose appearance is unclear due to unfortunate placement of lighting) embrace under a fireworks display.

Text of Message: What's the point if it won't tell me?

There is no point. Don't look for us. Don't return to the lake.

Page Number: 23

Image Description: Several males aged 17-19 surround another sleeping male of the same approximate age. The latter has shaving cream in the palm of his hand while one of the former is holding a string in front of the latter's nose.

Text of Message: I have to know.

But you already do.

Page Number: 37

Image Description: Photograph too damaged to determine.

Text of Message: Why can I create things if they're of no use to me?

Maybe it's just not meant to be. Even this universe has its rules.

SCP-4976-3-1976 was found to contain a near-identical copy of SCP-4976-1. However, the copy showed significantly more water damage, had no message on the back, and was completely nonanomalous. Additionally, the final space in SCP-4976-3-1976 that would contain a photograph was found to be empty, while despite many being too damaged to discern the subject of, all the other spaces contained photos.

We've had a great year, haven't we?

Whether SCP-4976-3-1976 has the same anomalous properties as other SCP-4976-3 instances is unclear, as the identity of the SCP-4976-2 instance to whom it corresponds is not definitively known. However, considering the fact that the photographs in SCP-4976-3-1976 do not share the same qualities of displaying SCP-4976-2 in the background, it is presumed that SCP-4976-3-1976 is nonanomalous.

Let's do it again sometime.

Junior Researcher Hernandez has not been informed of the discovery of SCP-4976-3-1976.