The first confirmed instance of SCP-1448-1, a church near ████████, Missouri. Vacated by SCP-1448 in 1846.

Item #: SCP-1448

Object Class: Euclid-nuntii

Special Containment Procedures: Mobile Task Force Nu-6 “Triple-Dog Daredevils” is tasked with tracking SCP-1448 to the best of their ability. Active members of Nu-6 must appear to be between the ages of 12 and 18, and have experience in undercover work. Support personnel also require experience in undercover operations but may be of any physical appearance. Once SCP-1448 has ceased migration, Nu-6 will pose as minors and make regular reports regarding any statements made about the area inhabited by SCP-1448, hereby SCP-1448-1. Footage, images, and reports of SCP-1448 are to be discredited.

Each instance of SCP-1448-1 is to be purchased by an appropriate Foundation front company and closed to the public when possible; otherwise, the Foundation is to cooperate with the appropriate authorities to acquire the area under eminent domain.

Any minors approaching SCP-1448-1 between sunset and sunrise are to be detained and questioned, then administered amnestics and released. If possible, false memories detailing the failure of any tasks they came to accomplish should be implanted.

Description: SCP-1448 is an incorporeal entity that appears as an opaque black object roughly 8 meters in diameter with a rapidly shifting physical form. SCP-1448 only absorbs visible light in very dim light, rendering it invisible to the naked eye from shortly before sunrise to shortly after sunset and difficult to see otherwise; however, it is several degrees cooler than its surroundings, allowing it to be tracked via infrared sensors. Except during migration events, SCP-1448 will display no activity whatsoever. SCP-1448 emits indistinguishable whispering noises at roughly 10 dB during migration events.

SCP-1448 will only remain in one area for a period of between three months and ten years, with the median time of residence being fifteen months. After this period of time, SCP-1448 will leave and travel to a new destination at a mean speed of 65 kph and a height of between one and fifteen meters. SCP-1448 will normally travel approximately 950 kilometers before choosing a new habitat.

SCP-1448 tends to inhabit manmade structures, although by no means will it restrict itself to artificial habitats. In every recorded instance, SCP-1448-1 has been in an area accessible to the public. SCP-1448-1 has, in the past, been:

Churches. In all cases, churches inhabited by SCP-1448 have always been over 53 years old at time of migration. SCP-1448 rarely inhabits other religious centers.

Cemeteries. Cemeteries inhabited by SCP-1448 frequently have larger-than-average gates. Said gates often require frequent maintenance to prevent rusting.

Caves. Subterranean areas that have been SCP-1448-1 frequently become colonized by bats after SCP-1448 departs, if they were not already home to bats.

Trees and stumps over two meters in diameter. Oak trees are the most common tree for SCP-1448 to inhabit.

A variety of abandoned buildings in varying states of disrepair. SCP-1448 has attempted to inhabit SCP-1084 on five separate occasions, in each case compounding [REDACTED].

Densely forested areas. Forests containing SCP-1448 have been noted to become significantly darker after containment and appear to remain so indefinitely.

Small bodies of water, such as swamps, ponds, and the shores of lakes. In these cases, SCP-1448-1 has always been the site of at least one drowning, intentional or otherwise.

Amusement parks and other outdoor recreational areas. Persons who enter SCP-1448-1 during these instances are highly unlikely to dispose of refuse properly.

In a disproportionately large number of cases (16.3%), SCP-1448-1 has been the scene of at least one death prior to hosting SCP-1448. Said death has been within twenty years of containment in each incidence. 118 separate incidences of SCP-1448-1 have been recorded since discovery in 1839.

The effects of SCP-1448 being present at SCP-1448-1 are believed to begin approximately three days after SCP-1448 has ceased migration, although they may not become apparent for another week. The primary effect of SCP-1448 is the creation of rumors or “urban legends” regarding SCP-1448-1, often concerning supposed deaths or otherwise paranormal activity in the area. Usually, these rumors (collectively SCP-1448-2) are begun and spread among the youth population of the population center nearest SCP-1448-1. When SCP-1448-1 is near a densely populated area such as a city, SCP-1448-2 will generally be restricted to several city blocks or one neighborhood.

A feature common to every instance of SCP-1448-2 is that, between two and three weeks after SCP-1448 arrives at SCP-1448-1, a rumor will surface to the effect that performing certain actions in or near SCP-1448-1 will yield results that would normally be considered implausible or nonsensical. Every documented "ritual" involves situations in which SCP-1448-1 is likely to be exposed to appreciable amounts of blood (human or animal). No blood lost by a subject at SCP-1448-1 has been recovered.

Examples of rituals produced by SCP-1448 include:

Placing a dead cat on a grave near SCP-1448-1-01 (see file photo) along with a wart removed from the subject's person was intended to cure the mumps.

A female having sexual intercourse for the first time in or under SCP-1448-1-23 would not become infected with pathogens or become pregnant from the event, provided no other precautions were taken, i.e. birth control or condoms.

Repeating the phrase “She [REDACTED]” with one’s eyes closed while running through SCP-1448-1-61 was supposed to cause the ghost of Edna ███████, who committed suicide in SCP-1448-1-61 in late 1894, to manifest and kill the speaker.

Self-mutilation at midnight in SCP-1448-1-112 resulting in significant blood loss will grant audience with [DATA EXPUNGED]; notably, a similar entity was recovered from the area several months earlier.

Note that all rituals produced by SCP-1448 are completely nonfunctional and each is unique in nature and intended results. Reported failures of these attempts have been somewhat effective in discouraging others from making attempts.

After SCP-1448 migrates from SCP-1448-1, SCP-1448-1 is most commonly avoided by locals whenever possible for several years afterwards. The rumors and legends regarding SCP-1448-1 will stay, along with the mildest versions of the rituals involving SCP-1448-1. Persons will no longer exhibit any unnatural desire to perform these rituals. Former instances of SCP-1448-1 do not require containment. Former instances of SCP-1448-1 are reviewed for further containment on a case-by-case basis (See Incident Report 1448-38).

Research into creating reliable containment procedures for SCP-1448 is underway.