SCP-7141

Item #: SCP-7141

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Standard storage locker. When in use in Initiative-7141-1, SCP-7141 may be retrieved by any level-2 staff.

Description: SCP-7141 is a black and gold hardcover book with 1000 pages. It has the anomalous property of changing the text contained within it to the entire story of its reader's life. Notably, this includes events that occur in the future.

On the inside of the cover, the following text is present:

When in your hands you hold,

This book of black and gold,

You hold a certain wealth,

In sickness or in health.

A wealth of knowledge true,

That's only meant for you,

But if you change the text,

Then surely you'll be next.

So open this archive,

And see how long you thrive,

And read until you're wise,

With dark and clouded eyes.

When a sentient being makes contact with SCP-7141, text will manifest on its pages detailing the entire narrative of their life. If multiple subjects are in physical contact with the book, then the corresponding text of whichever subject is making contact with a greater surface area will manifest. Contact with any non-sentient being will produce the same effect as contact with nothing at all, being the absence of any text, except for the text on the inside cover. The story itself will be written in an autobiographical tone.

After reading any part of SCP-7141 that takes place in the future and would influence a subject to take different actions than described in the text, the contents of SCP-7141 will instantly change to reflect this discrepancy. SCP-7141 will never contain any mention of the use of itself in the future, rather, use of SCP-7141 will only appear in it after doing so.

It is possible to make edits to one's future through SCP-7141 by crossing out or removing any unwanted events and writing in any additions in the margins or in between paragraphs. Doing so will cause said edits to occur at the time written in SCP-7141, even if said events are themselves anomalous, such as the manifestation of objects. Making edits will invariably cause unintentional or unwanted secondary results. Such unintended results are usually equal and opposite to the aforementioned edit. For example, if one were to embellish the sudden manifestation of a large sum of money, they may have their money stolen in the near future. Making edits to the past has no effect.

Discovery: SCP-7141 was discovered on 07/06/2022 when staff of █████ Hospital found it on the body of a man who had entered the hospital seconds before he died. Upon reading it and realizing its anomalous properties, a Foundation staff member who was in the hospital lobby at the time contacted the Foundation, SCP-7141 was contained, and Class-A amnestics were administered to all civilians present.

Addendum 7141-1: Due to SCP-7141's use case as a relatively convenient method of looking into the future, Initiative-7141-1 has been put in place in which randomly selected staff members are given SCP-7141, instructed to read all pages containing their employment with the SCP Foundation, and identify any containment breaches mentioned in the text. While Initiative-7141-1 has proven effective in identifying containment breaches, the threat of breaches will likely never be completely eradicated by it due to its relatively time-consuming nature.

Requests to cross-test SCP-7141 with dangerous Keter-class anomalies in order to determine potential neutralization methods are currently pending.

Addendum 7141-2: Due to findings in initial testing with SCP-7141, where a tissue sample was used to make physical contact with SCP-7141 and the story of the researcher, from whom the sample was, appeared as normal, as well as evidence in stanza 3 line 4 of the poem on the inside cover of SCP-7141, the hypothesis was formed that SCP-7141 has the ability to show the life story of deceased subjects when placed on their corpse. Later testing proved this theory true. With this information, researchers recovered the body of the man who first possessed SCP-7141 and identified the effects of prolonged use of SCP-7141. Below are the pages of interest.

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And there I saw it, that large black book, looking alien and out of place in the library's biography section. I was intrigued, so naturally, I picked it up to inspect it. It had no title, and when I opened it I saw a strange poem on the inside cover. I skimmed the first page and was confused because it seemed to be talking about someone's birth. I had the feeling that this wasn't an ordinary book, so I flipped forward a bit and skimmed some pages near the middle, and suddenly realized that this book was about me. Flipping to a few random pages, my high school graduation, my 6th birthday, and my current job's interview confirmed it. I thumbed forward and realized something even more strange, this book told my future as well. I was tempted to look at the last page but realized that nothing good could possibly come from that. Looking at the back cover, there was no barcode present, therefore I couldn't properly check the book out, so I simply walked out with the book, and drove home.

On my way home I thought more about the cryptic poem in the book and remembered a part that talked about changing the text. I wondered if this meant you could change the future with the book. When I got home I got a pen and thought about what I wanted to change, but couldn't think of anything. and a million dollars in cash suddenly appeared before me.

I thought it was a rather cliché thing to make as an edit, but I felt immense satisfaction nonetheless. I put most of the money in a safe container, but I took $100,000 or so and drove to deposit it in my savings account. Unfortunately, my bank was unexpectedly closed, So I went to the nearest ATM, and it was out of order as well. I drove all over town, but every single ATM I went to was out of order. and eventually found a working ATM, and deposited my money.

When I got home I fixed myself some dinner and went through my normal nightly routine, but I could barely sleep that night. A pizza instantly appeared on the table fully cooked and ready to eat. That night I had the best sleep of my life.

I woke up feeling terrible like I hadn't slept at all. After completing my morning routine, I looked outside and saw that my car had been stolen. I realized that these occurrences could no longer be considered coincidences. Every time I cross something out, something bad happens. I wondered if making edits without crossing things out would be safe. After all, it would be a terrible waste if I didn't try. Suddenly, my car reappeared in the driveway.

In order to test my theory, I didn't make any other edits for the rest of the day, I even left the book at home when I went to work. When I got home, nothing seemed to have changed. I was overjoyed at my discovery, once again I held the future in the palm of my hands! Immediately the rest of the million dollars disappeared and reappeared in my bank account.

I remained happy, until I checked my phone's voicemail, and saw that I had received notice that I was being audited. I was crushed. I tried to think of something to tell the IRS, some reasonable way that I could have obtained the money. I considered the lottery but then came to a realization, there was only one thing I could do. I instantly received another call letting me know that there had been a mistake, and I was not being audited.

I looked at the poem at the front of the book for a second time and realized what a fool I had been. "You'll be next," without explicitly stating its meaning, couldn't have a clearer message. The "next" isn't just the consequences you get for making edits, it's the cycle you will end up in, as you keep on reversing consequence after consequence, and being dealt more and more punishment in return.

But I was determined, I wouldn't have my life ruined by a stupid book. I spent hours as a kid thinking about what I would wish for if I found a genie, thinking about how I wouldn't be taken advantage of. This book is my genie, and so far it has succeeded in tricking me. But that wouldn't last any longer. I just had to think of what to do next. Whenever I wrote in the book after that, it never caused anything to reverse those edits ever again. Any edits I made were implemented in reality to the letter. I slept great that night and woke up feeling refreshed.

At work, I gave my two weeks' notice and didn't look at the book until I got home, but when I did, I was horrified. When I had opened the book previous times, the page where the present was always fell around the same place, albeit never on the exact same page. This time, I had to flip to the very last page.

Then, suddenly, I had a heart attack and died. I didn't die.

I had a heart attack and died. I didn't.

I drove as fast as I could to the hospital, but I was pulled over, and died before I made it. and made it there very quickly.

I burst into the hospital and told them I was going to have a heart attack, and needed medical attention. The receptionist was very confused, and nervously chuckled and told me to come back when I already had a heart attack. I begged to be admitted into the ER, I even showed them the book, but they wouldn't listen.

Then, in that lobby, I had a heart attack and died before the hospital staff could even get me on a stretcher. No.

I died, there was no escape. I lived, I didn't die, I became immortal!

Even the book didn't have the power to make me immortal. I died. Pl-

The End.