I promise it's a fun article and not an examination of small town religious cults. Also, unrelated question: I can lie in these, right?

Images are from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stra%C5%A1ilo_na_polju_med_Tatrami_in_Orehkom_1955.jpg

And here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spodnje_Brezno,_Lu%C5%BEnikovo_stra%C5%A1ilo_v_koruzi_1963.jpg

Huzzah.

Typical SCP-2218 instance during observation.

Item #: SCP-2218

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2218 instances are to be contained through the usage of doubly redundant recording devices in a 4 kilometer wide square perimeter (designated as the 2218 Containment Area) around the instance's previously established community boundaries.

All recording devices are to be oriented counter-clockwise to face the rear of the next recording device in the line. Secondary recording devices are to be utilized at the corners of this perimeter to cover any gaps in surveillance. No recording device is to be further than 100 meters from another recording device (excluding the device's own backup).

Foundation maintenance staff are to patrol the perimeter of the 2218 Containment Area daily and clear any growths or obstructions. These staff must also repair or replace devices which are no longer functioning.

All staff should maintain records of any SCP-2218 instance that reached the perimeter of the 2218 Containment Area. Every 5 days any SCP-2218 instances which have reached the outer perimeter are to be transported back into the containment area outside the line of sight of any recording devices.

The 2218 Containment Area is to be designated as private land and access to it is to be limited to Foundation staff. Trespassers are to be apprehended and interrogated. If civilians are found to possess knowledge of Foundation operations in the area or knowledge of anomalous properties relating to SCP-2218 instances, they are to be amnesticized prior to release.

Description: SCP-2218 is a collection of individuals which take on the outward appearance of an inanimate mannequin if observed. Observation in regards to SCP-2218 is defined as any visual or auditory information processed by any individual or automated surveillance system. While the general appearance of individual instances differ greatly from one another, all living instances take on an individually unique appearance when observed (though a non-adult instance may grow in size, its appearance remains similar). This has allowed for easy identification of discrete instances1.

Beyond this observation effect, SCP-2218 instances do not appear to possess additional anomalous properties, (though they do not appear to experience the passage of time while observed). Each instance requires nutritional intake approximate to a human individual of similar size (though only when unobserved). SCP-2218 instances appear to engage in behavior typical to isolated human communities capable of agriculture. A majority (approximately 60%) of instances are devoted to primitive agricultural pursuits. The remainder of instances are split between various religious, leadership, and professional roles.

Recovered written communication have indicated that English is the primary language utilized by SCP-2218 instances. The most common communications appear to be between individual instances and members of the religious class. This religious class appears to control vast influence in the SCP-2218 community. Religious doctrines taught appear to be closely related to Methodist teaching, with a strong focus on theology, liturgical rituals, and ecclesiology.

Community historical records indicate that isolation began during the early 1950s as a result of the instance's anomalous effect. The majority of residents appear to credit a higher power's favor as the reason for their isolation. The few residents who are believed to have lived prior to the establishment of the community, however, refuse to respond to written communications left by Foundation personnel.

Due to their anomalous properties, capture and examination of individual instances is not difficult. While internal examinations through non-invasive means2 indicate an inner composition reflective of inanimate mannequins, physical examination of this internal structure has shown that regardless of outward appearance, all instances are internally physiologically identical to humans. Internal organs, once removed from an SCP-2218 instance, do not display the anomalous effect possessed by whole instances.

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After initial containment, a dialogue was established between a variety of SCP-2218 instances and the Foundation. Instances initially appeared to believe that Foundation actions in and around the containment area were the work of supernatural beings. Eventually more reliable means of communication were established, including a drop box for two-way communication.

The majority of data extraction methods at the Foundation's disposal are incapable of being utilized against the SCP-2218 instances in their inanimate form. Among instances willing to communicate with the Foundation, a widespread belief exists that the religious community leaders are responsible for the continued isolation of the instances. Though the focus of most communications have been to discover more information about the origin on the SCP-2218 effect, several communications relating to the sociopolitical environment of the SCP-2218 community have also been incorporated into the correspondence.

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SCP-2218-112 after its termination by fellow instances during Incident 130. Attached to the instance was a message that read "Traitor".

Following a failed sociopolitical upheaval initiated by the SCP-2218 instances in communication with Foundation staff, most communication with the Foundation has been cut off. The majority of individuals previously in contact with the Foundation have either been executed or are unable to be located.

As no new information appears to be forthcoming from the community, the addition of 24-hour automated satellite surveillance to the containment procedures is currently under review by the Ethics Committee.

Footnotes

1. Similarity between the effects of SCP-2218 instances and the SCP-2136 pathogen have been noted. Investigation into whether the anomalous properties affecting SCP-2218 instances are an altered version of SCP-2136, or visa versa, is ongoing.

2. Current testing has included standard X-Ray, CT, and MRI scans.