Item #: SCP-5351

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5351 is to be kept in a standard humanoid containment chamber located at Site-22 and fed twice a day in accordance with Nutritional Chart 5351-1. Regular checks are to be performed to ensure that plant life growing within the containment chamber does not compromise chamber integrity, and trimming is to take place if deemed necessary.

While constant video surveillance of SCP-5351's containment chamber is to be performed as per standard Foundation protocol, no audio surveillance or recording is to take place. No statements made by SCP-5351 are to be transcribed, whether made during interviews or otherwise. Personnel are not to quote SCP-5351, repeat any phrases or non-standard terminology used by SCP-5351, or record statements made by SCP-5351 in any context or medium. Any event in which SCP-5351's words are reproduced by an external source in this way are to be considered an immediate containment breach.

In the event of a containment breach, the area of Site-22 in which SCP-5351 has appeared is to immediately be locked down. As those targeted by SCP-5351 are generally killed within seconds of its appearance, recovery of personnel in the immediate vicinity is considered infeasible and not a top priority. Once reacquired, SCP-5351 is to be escorted back to its containment chamber by a security team.

In order to encourage SCP-5351's cooperation, all interviews are to be performed by Junior Researcher Cooper. Interviews are to be recorded in general terms only.

Description: SCP-5351 is a humanoid entity superficially resembling a young woman of Slavic descent. Despite its human appearance, SCP-5351 has demonstrated a number of anomalous capabilities, most prominently the ability to appear in the immediate vicinity of individuals who either repeat exact statements made by SCP-5351 themselves or access media which does the same.

After appearing following such an event, SCP-5351 will proceed to kill the individual who reproduced their words, followed by anyone in the immediate vicinity who heard the statement. SCP-5351 has demonstrated the capacity to exert physical strength significantly beyond human limits, often mauling humans to death with its bare hands over the course of several seconds. Once all targeted individuals have been eliminated, SCP-5351 invariably returns to an amicable state and will cooperate with requests made by containment staff.

Plant life has been observed to appear and rapidly grow in areas where SCP-5351 has been present for a great deal of time1. These plants have demonstrated, along with their accelerated growth, an ability to flourish in areas usually incapable of supporting flora, such as steel surfaces and unlit rooms. Despite these anomalous properties, however, analysis has confirmed that this plant life consists only of mundane oak and grass which can be trimmed without ill effect. SCP-5351 appears to place some level of sentimental importance on these plants, and will generally react negatively if they are removed without prior warning.

Despite the significant levels of violence SCP-5351 has displayed when its statements are reproduced or quoted, it is otherwise amicable with Foundation staff and will cooperate with the majority of requests.

Discovery

SCP-5351 was first discovered in the village of [DATA EXPUNGED]2, Russia, after numerous reports of travelers vanishing in the region.

One such traveler, Lev Ilin, reappeared several weeks after being reported missing and informed local police that the villagers of [DATA EXPUNGED] had imprisoned him after he'd encountered and had a brief conversation with a young woman who had demonstrated the ability to make plants grow around her. After this potential anomalous phenomena was flagged by the Foundation, Mobile Task Force Zeta-19 ("Lonely Only") was dispatched to investigate.

While the villagers of [DATA EXPUNGED] were initially resistant against the advances of MTF Zeta-19, hostilities were quickly neutralized and the village elders interrogated. Investigation of the apprehended villagers revealed that all of them appeared to have had their tongues removed at an early age, preventing speech. The questioned elders claimed through writing that this was the result of a traditional coming-of-age ceremony, intended to prevent 'the Maiden of the Woods'3 from attacking the village for reproducing, or 'stealing', her words.

The elders made further claims that they had imprisoned travelers who had interacted with SCP-5351 under the fear that they would inadvertently quote its words at a later date, causing her to appear in their vicinity and spread its influence to the rest of civilization. When questioned about the location of these imprisoned travelers, the elders refused to answer, but numerous decomposing bodies were unearthed beneath the village hall during investigation.

MTF Zeta-19 then proceeded to a cabin located in the nearby woods which SCP-5351 had apparently made its home, where SCP-5351 was quickly found and restrained. As personnel already had a general awareness of the conditions which triggered a violent state from SCP-5351, the anomaly was able to be transported back from [DATA EXPUNGED] and contained without further incident.

Interview Summary Log 5351-1

The following is a record of interviews with SCP-5351 conducted by various members of the SCP-5351 containment team. In order to prevent containment breach, the results of these interviews are recorded only in general terms.

Interviewer: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

Interviewee: SCP-5351

Items Exchanged: N/A

Topics Discussed: SCP-5351's origins, its nature, the source behind its anomalous abilities.

Results: SCP-5351 claims to have always lived in the forest it was originally found in, and further explained that it originally had two sisters that resided there with it — both significantly older. It appeared confused when I inquired as to its anomalous abilities, and expressed a belief that there was nothing strange about its capabilities. Following this point, SCP-5351 became lethargic and bored, and refused to answer further questions.

Will have to find a way to engage SCP-5351 more in further interviews.

Interviewer: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

Interviewee: SCP-5351

Items Exchanged: Pencil and paper. Provided in an effort to improve SCP-5351's engagement in the interview — I told it that it could record questions it wished to ask of me on the paper and I would do my best to answer them. I had already agreed with my supervisors not to provide any accurate information in response to these questions, but we felt it would make SCP-5351 feel this was less of an interrogation and thus be more cooperative.

Topics Discussed: Reasons for violent behaviours.

Results: Before I could ask my questions, SCP-5351 expressed a great deal of surprise and fascination in response to the pencil I had given it. No such reaction was given to the paper. When I inquired as to the reason for its excitement, it refused to answer but was much more cooperative from that point forward.

When I asked about the reason SCP-5351 acted violently when its words were quoted, it launched into a lengthy explanation of its logic in doing so. While I do not think I managed to recall this one-hundred percent accurately — it was a lengthy explanation — I can provide this brief summary. I have taken care not to reproduce SCP-5351's exact wording.

SCP-5351's words belong only to SCP-5351. Therefore, SCP-5351's words cannot exist in a space without SCP-5351 also existing there — this appears to be its logic behind its ability to translocate.

If SCP-5351's words are spoken by someone who is not SCP-5351, however, that must mean that the speaker is attempting to steal those words from SCP-5351, and must be dealt with brutally.

If we take SCP-5351 as being honest here, that would suggest that its attacks are less a result of random malevolence and more a warped sense of apparent moral necessity. It's unhinged without a doubt, but I suppose it makes some kind of internal sense from that inhuman kind of perspective. To hear someone say these kinds of absurd things like they were perfectly reasonable is unsettling all the same, but I suppose that's the nature of the job.

Interviewer: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

Interviewee: SCP-5351

Items Exchanged: An oak leaf. Given to me through a slot at the end of the interview. Submitted for incineration afterwards as per potential contamination protocol.

Topics Discussed: The village of [DATA EXPUNGED]. (Intended.)

Results: Before I could begin asking questions about [DATA EXPUNGED], SCP-5351 began asking me a series of questions, leaving me no room to interject. It wished to know things such as my full name, my birthday, what my family was like, any interesting childhood memories I had. I provided false information as previously agreed upon, but SCP-5351 didn't appear to notice.

This questioning went on for nearly half-an-hour — I almost started slipping up and answering truthfully — after which SCP-5351 gave me the oak leaf I logged above. When I asked why it had given me an oak leaf, it replied that the object was not an oak leaf but instead a [DATA EXPUNGED]. It then refused to answer any of my questions and asked me to leave for the night.

I was happy to do so, to tell the truth. Being on the receiving end of that question barrage was exhausting. I don't even want to know why it wanted to know that stuff.

Researcher Cooper, this will be your only warning in this regard. I understand that the material that had to be expunged from this record was only a single word, but that word was non-standard terminology quoted directly from SCP-5351 — in other words, a potentially disastrous containment breach. Speaking frankly, it's a miracle you're still alive. I've logged you in for a week's suspension — make sure you come back with your head on straight. - Head Researcher Scott Abrams

My most sincere apologies, sir. I assure you this will never happen again. Thank you for your lenience. - Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

Interviewer: Head Researcher Scott Abrams

Interviewee: SCP-5351

Items Exchanged: N/A.

Topics Discussed: The village of [DATA EXPUNGED]. (Intended.)

Results: SCP-5351 refused to talk to me. When I entered the interview chamber and told it I would be interviewing it today, it became enraged, loudly accused me of harming Junior Researcher Cooper, and physically attacked the observation window until I was forced to leave in fear of my own safety.

Interviewer: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

Interviewee: SCP-5351

Items Exchanged: Photographs of the village of [DATA EXPUNGED] and various residents.

Topics Discussed: The village of [DATA EXPUNGED].

Results: SCP-5351 expressed a great deal of relief that I had returned from my suspension period unharmed, and significantly calmed down when I explained the circumstances behind that. While it assured me that it would see no need to kill me for simply borrowing a single word, I have to admit I didn't find much comfort in the implication that it would have to kill me for other offenses.

This time, SCP-5351 was happy to discuss the village of [DATA EXPUNGED]. It confirmed that it had provided the original name of the village after helping the original founders survive the dangers of the area in exchange for offerings of meat and wine. When I asked if this meant that SCP-5351 was over two-hundred years old, it responded in the affirmative and seemed surprised that I had even asked.

I informed SCP-5351 that we'd discovered that none of the older villagers had any tongues when we'd first brought it in, and asked if it knew why that was. It replied that this was because of the coming-of-age ceremony that all villagers undergo during adolescence, and elaborated that this was something it had instructed them to do in order to ensure they would not be able to steal its words. When I asked what it would have done if they had disregarded these instructions, it replied that it would have killed them as if this was very natural.

I asked why it would have done this. It replied that it would have been out of love. Love, it explained, was the act of keeping the things you liked in your possession as long as possible — and getting rid of them when they ceased being the kind of things you liked.

I asked what kind of things it liked. It said that it found me very interesting.

I left the chamber. It smiled at me as I went.

Incident Log 5351-1

The following is the record of a containment breach which occurred in a tertiary Site-22 canteen on 23/05/2021, involving Junior Researchers Sam Cooper, Lindsay Owen and Jonathan Worthy. All statements which could result in further containment breaches have been expunged from this record.

<Begin Log>

(Junior Researchers Sam Cooper, Lindsay Owen and Jonathan Worthy are alone in the canteen, discussing recent developments in SCP-5351's containment. Sam Cooper has their head in their hands, while Lindsay Owen and Jonathan Worthy are speaking animatedly.)

JR Lindsay Owen: It's crazy, though, really. You should have seen the way she went off on Abrams — you could hear her screaming through the walls.

JR Sam Cooper: (muffled) Jesus. I can't fucking believe it. This was my first big assignment, you know? You guys were on that Domesday Clock thing, so you've got prior, but this was — like — my big shot you know, to show what I was made of?

JR Jonathan Worthy: And apparently you're a real casanova.

(JR Sam Cooper throws an empty juice carton at JR Jonathan Worthy's head, which misses.)

JR Sam Cooper: Fuck off. Seriously, though, it's not funny. I've not even been sleeping, you know? I keep thinking of the way she was smiling at me. Creepy shit, like someone looking down a microscope at you.

JR Lindsay Owens: Everyone's got your back with this. You're carrying this whole thing, you know? Abram thinks so too. She can get as creepy as she likes, she's still in there and you're still out here.

JR Sam Cooper: Until someone fucks up.

JR Lindsay Owens: Nobody's gonna fuck up. We know what we're doing. You do too. Right, Jon?

JR Jonathan Worthy: Right.

(JR Sam Cooper sighs.)

JR Sam Cooper: You know how this started — where, where all the trouble came from? That fucking … thing she gave me, the — the leaf? The [DATA EXPUNGED] or whatever the hell it's called?

(JR Lindsay Owens and JR Jonathan Worthy freeze.)

JR Jonathan Worthy: Should you really, uh…?

(JR Sam Cooper spreads their arms wide.)

JR Sam Cooper: You see her? It's like I told Abrams after I came back, it's words that summon her. Words, plural. If you could do it with just one, she'd just pop up wherever anyone said 'hello', right?

JR Lindsay Owens: Right. Right, yeah. That does make sense.

JR Jonathan Worthy: But what the hell is a [DATA EXPUNGED]?

(There is a loud cracking noise, and SCP-5351 appears in the midst of the three Junior Researchers. Within the span of ten seconds, it tears out JR Lindsay Owen's jugular with its teeth, disembowels JR Jonathan Worthy, and curtsies towards JR Sam Cooper.)

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED]!

(JR Sam Cooper screams, now covered in blood, and retreats to the corner of the room. SCP-5351 follows after them. At this point, containment breach of SCP-5351 is confirmed. Alarms begin going off throughout the site, and the canteen is locked down when the presence of SCP-5351 is noted on surveillance camera. Security team dispatched.)

JR Sam Cooper: What the fuck?! What the fuck?!

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED].

(JR Sam Cooper looks at the corpses of JR Lindsay Owen and JR Jonathan Worthy.)

JR Sam Cooper: (quietly) You didn't have to kill them.

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED].

JR Sam Cooper: No you didn't. You just… you could've at least… Jesus.

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED]?

(JR Sam Cooper looks from their sitting position on the floor up at SCP-5351.)

JR Sam Cooper: How the hell would I be okay? Do you — do you even understand what you've done? They're — they're dead. They said one fucking word and you killed them like it was nothing — like it was — fuck.

(Pause.)

JR Sam Cooper: …why am I still alive?

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED].

(JR Sam Cooper puts their head in their hands.)

JR Sam Cooper: Nooo… no no no…

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED].

JR Sam Cooper: No, no, stop saying that, you don't, you don't. It was a fucking pencil, goddamnit! Just… just finish me off. Get it over with if you're going to do it.

(SCP-5351 moves its hand forward, and JR Sam Cooper winces. SCP-5351 plants its hand on top of JR Sam Cooper's head, and pats the spot for several seconds before withdrawing it, leaving significant amounts of blood dripping from JR Sam Cooper's hair.)

SCP-5351: [DATA EXPUNGED].

(There is a loud bang as the security team breaches the canteen and surrounds SCP-5351, weapons trained on it.)

Security Officer Nelson: Hands on your head! I said hands on your head!

(SCP-5351 steps away from JR Sam Cooper, puts its hands on its head, and complies with security instructions. JR Sam Cooper vomits on the floor in front of them and subsequently loses consciousness.)

<End Log>

Personnel Request Response (Junior Researcher Sam Cooper: Reassignment)

From: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

To: Head Researcher Scott Abrams

Hereby requesting immediate reassignment in order to maintain my own mental health and wellbeing. I do not believe I need to provide evidence beyond what has already occurred that SCP-5351 has developed some kind of fixation on me — and it is something I want no part of. I see only two conclusions if I continue on as part of this research team: either I end up dead, or so severely traumatized that I may as well be.

From: Head Researcher Scott Abrams

To: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

Unfortunately, I will have to decline your request at this time.

Since the development of rapport between yourself and SCP-5351, we've seen a huge decrease in the rate of containment breaches — even in cases where someone has reproduced SCP-5351's words, it's shown a much greater willingness to 'let it slide', for lack of better wording. The incident I'm sure has prompted this is, as far as we can tell, an isolated incident. I know that seems cold, but it's the truth.

I understand this assignment is stressful — and I won't deny the circumstances are unusual — but I'll have to ask you to just take one for the team on this occasion. We've all got your back on this one, yeah?

From: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

To: Head Researcher Scott Abrams

If you're going to do this to me, you might as well slap an orange jumpsuit on me and get it over with. You saw what that thing did to Lindsay, didn't you? I felt her blood on my face. I tasted it on my tongue. I can still taste it — and it gets worse every time I look at 5351. It's hellish.

Did you even read what I wrote? About how I'll almost certainly end up? Did you even care?

You haven't got my back. If you did, I'd be out of here already. I understand my tone isn't exactly appropriate right now, but I severely doubt you're going to have me fired for being a little snappy in these messages.

If you're saying you want to kill me — or worse — then say it properly. Use your goddamn words.

From: Head Researcher Scott Abrams

To: Junior Researcher Sam Cooper

I'm sorry, Sam.

Footnotes

1. Generally one to two months.

2. As it is now believed that this village was originally named by SCP-5351, recording said name is considered to constitute a reproduction of SCP-5351's words. Note that this is the name used by inhabitants of the village — the variation used by the outside world was fortunately not a containment breach risk.

3. Note that this epithet was originally expunged from the record under the belief that it was originally created by SCP-5351 itself. Further investigation has confirmed this is not the case, and it has been re-added to documentation.