SCP-4430: The Faceless Live in Evanholly

「Not Safe」

Image Sources:

1) faceless.jpg — Princess Tuvstarr (...) by John Bauer, Public Domain (modified)

2) mask.jpg — "Woman Mask Vintage Postcard" by Harrison Fisher, Public Domain (modified)

Acknowledgements:

JackalRelated, for donating this for SCPD's draftswap and for critique.

Alces_Alces does not match any existing user name, for critique.

RockTeethMothEyes, for in-depth critique.

Uncle Nicolini, for in-depth critique.

cybersqyd, for in-depth critique.

Lt Flops, for critique.

▸ Ayers ◂

2/4430 LEVEL 2/4430

CLASSIFIED

Item #: SCP-4430

Pending

Sixth edition cover artwork of The Faceless Live In Evanholly (28 x 28 cm)

Special Containment Procedures: Houses of individuals who are in the process of raising a child within the target age range (three to seven years) of SCP-4430 are to be routinely checked for instances of SCP-4430 and, if found, seized. Amnestic treatment of children within these households to remove any potential memetic contamination is in effect, though the efficacy and necessity of this treatment is uncertain.

Description: SCP-4430 is the designation for copies of the short story "The Faceless Live In Evanholly" by Clyde Hiller. While the cover of the book has been known to vary between editions, the title and author have remained consistent and are used as the sole method of identification. The majority of information regarding SCP-4430 has been recovered from online sources — see Addendum 4430.2 for further details.

Copies of SCP-4430 generally present as a paperback book targeted at young children containing various illustrations to punctuate the narrative. While the books themselves state that the original copies were published in 1968, there is no other documentation that supports this — a RAISA search for the title returns no results other than incident reports of missing persons.

Initially thought to be a memetic effect, SCP-4430 appears to have the anomalous trait of causing a small fraction of suggestible individuals to go missing. The mechanism through which this occurs, how victims are selected, and where those victims are relocated to are all unknown. Thorough memetic screening tests of SCP-4430 and its readers have all returned negative; SCP-4430's anomalous characteristics do not manifest under laboratory conditions.

Parents rarely deny purchasing SCP-4430, but also state that they have no explicit memories of doing so. The majority of SCP-4430 instances remain unread by the child and are only found after their adolescence. Of those who discover the instance, very few go missing. To date, only five children have been identified to go missing in ways that could not be explained by other causes — see Addendum 4430.1 for further details.

Addendum 4430.1 — Suspected Victims

Person
Date Reported
Notes

Innes, Diana
2015/01/16

Chadee, Sophie
2006/07/05
Youngest twin. Parents recently purchased many books, including SCP-4430.

Chadee, Katie
2006/07/05
Eldest twin. Parents recently purchased many books, including SCP-4430.

McGwire, Danny
1975/12/12

Unidentified Male
1971/03/18
Anonymously reported from passerby. Clutching a book identified as SCP-4430. Mild facial nevus flammeus1.

Addendum 4430.2 — Parawatch Forum Post

Fyres 29/03/15 (Sat) 03:19:19 #8737463

Masquerade from The Faceless Live In Evanholly.

Many people know Watership Down and The Plague Dogs as children's books that stick with you. Despite their saccharine appearance, the novels contain mature themes and content. Missing from this trinity is the often-overlooked and overshadowed The Faceless Live in Evanholly.

Known for its interesting portrayal of social influence and peer pressure, the cult classic The Faceless Live in Evanholly has earned its place in the hearts of many since its publication in 1968. The book never gained much attention outside of close-knit literature communities. As such, The Faceless Live in Evanholly can be found solely in charity stores and yard sales, buried between unwanted vinyl records and droves of musty, unread romance novels.

Interestingly, despite poor sales figures, The Faceless Live In Evanholly has had multiple editions published, each complete with new cover artwork. Avid fans of the book have tried to collect all of the published editions. Notably, the fourth and sixth editions are particularly elusive.

(1st Ed. — 1968) Standard-issue hardback with only the title and author printed.

(2nd Ed. — 1971) A small, porcelain mask splattered with red paint is printed below the title.

(3rd Ed. — 1975) Two small, porcelain masks are being raised by a figure from below the frame. The red-paint mask is on the right.

(4th Ed.) Undocumented.

(5th Ed. — 2006) Below a pond, four porcelain masks are submerged. The two leftmost masks are identical, and the remaining masks are similar to those seen in previous editions. A hand is reaching down towards the red-paint mask.

(6th Ed. — 2015?) Unconfirmed — no physical copies submitted.

The Faceless Live in Evanholly is set in 1960s America and follows the actions of Leon — a child of undetermined age and race — who runs away from home after his parents berate him for a large birthmark that "streaks across his face like a glass of rich red wine". He runs into a forest near his home, despite his parents' warnings, and makes an attempt to survive on his own.

Leon creates a reasonable shelter, forages for blackberries, and finds fresh water. However, despite Leon's best attempts, he cannot figure out how to make a fire to keep him warm. As dusk is fast approaching, Leon becomes colder and colder still. Reluctant to return home without fixing himself, Leon watches his reflection in a pool of water and readies a pointed rock.

Before Leon begins to hurt himself, a masked feminine figure joins him by the riverbed. She does not give her name, and insists that Leon call her 'Masquerade'. Leon is initially apprehensive towards Masquerade, but this does not seem to deter her.

Masquerade asks Leon if he thinks his parents were right to berate his appearance. Leon, angered by her insensitivity, shouts that he agrees with their criticisms — he sees himself as freakish and cursed, so he should accept his place.

Interested by his acceptance of his situation, Masquerade then asks why Leon hates his face. Leon looks at Masquerade, exasperated, and simply states that he hates his face because it causes everyone else to hate him.

As dusk descends on the forest, Masquerade reasons that the only reason Leon hates his face is because everyone around him judges him to be a freak because of it. Masquerade points out that he should not hate his face, then, but instead hate everyone that cast him out.

Masquerade states that Leon would be happier without a face — since without a face, there is nothing for anyone to cast hate upon. She asks if he would be willing to give his face to her, so he could live in Evanholly. He accepts, and Masquerade pinches Leon's chin and pulls upward, removing his face like a porcelain mask. Leon states that he feels a sense of relief, like a weight being removed from his shoulders, or a deep sigh from within his soul.

The final image is of Masquerade in a clearing, alone, throwing a porcelain mask into a well.

Footnotes

1. Permanent genetic malformation of capalliaries at the skin, causing a deep red rash-like appearance.