Except the inside this particular stall was slightly smaller then the 
other two. 


| reached out to the left wall, there's nothing there normally, and as | 
thought, my hand passed through it to touch the real wall. 


The illusion vanished, and the little girl everyone was looking for was 
staring up at me. Wide eyed with fear. 


"Hi there, my name's Ally, what's yours?" 
The girl swallowed, "Uh uh uh..." 


"I'm not going to hurt you.” | knelt down to her level, "We can talk 
here for as long as you want." 


She noticed right away | don't have any uniform or suit on, just a 
long sleeved shirt and jeans, no sign of a gun or anything. "Larissa." 
She finally answered quietly. 


"Hi Larissa." | said, giving my best smile. "So, you can make these 
things appear, right?" She nodded, "So all the animals are from your 
imagination?" Another nod. "Can you tell me how long you've been 
able to do this?" 


"Uh, well, I've always had imaginary friends..." She mumbled, 
embarrassed of such a normal kid thing. "Then one day people 
started to be able to see them. Then | found out | could make 
anything appear by imagining it." 


"But they're not real." | said, "You're the only one who can interact 
with them." 


"Yeah. It's still fun though." She said. A perfectly normal kid, who 
likes animals and has an active imagination. 


"But a bunch of scary guys are now looking for you." | said. 
"Did | do something wrong?" She asked me. 


"No, you didn't. You just did something different. And there are 
people in the world who don't want different things running around." 


"Why?" 


| adjusted myself to sit next to her, "Why? Well, part of it is that a lot 
of the ‘different’ stuff is dangerous. Like, horrible monsters. So in 
some way you could say that they're protecting everyone." 


"I'm not dangerous." She said. 


"Yeah, | know." | said, "But they think you are. Anybody that's 
different then a ‘normal’ person is considered dangerous." 


She looked up at me, "So what are they going to do if they catch 
me?" 


"They'll lock you up for the rest of your life." | answered, "They've 
probably already gotten your parents, you don't really have a home 
to return to anymore, | bet." 


We sat in silence for a few minutes, Larissa doing her best not to 
cry. Yeah, this is enough, | have to act now. Standing up and 
stretching my limbs, | held down a hand to her, "So, Larissa, do you 
want some help?" 


She looked at my hand, her confusion evident, "What can you do? | 
can't hide from them anywhere else." 


"Then we'll go somewhere else then, where they can't reach." | said. 
It may not be possible to get out of the park normally, but | haven't 
been involved with this insane hidden world for fourteen years for 
nothing. 


"How?" 


"You're not the only special one." | said with a grin, "| may not have 
anything like your ability, but I've learned some things." 


After another seconds consideration, she took my hand, and we 
shook on it. 


"Perfect." | said, pulling her up. Now we were both standing in this 
crowded stall. Letting her go, | pulled my card out of my pocket. 
Holding out my other arm, | rolled up my sleeve. Preparations 
complete, | ran the card against my arm, cutting it. 


Larissa's eyes widened in surprise, she didn't really get what | was 
doing. That's OK, it's complicated. 


You see, Doors exist in a lot of places. But it's possible to make your 
own temporary one. Granted it comes at a cost, but it was one | was 
willing and able to pay. Really, the worst part of this would be the 
smug look on Henry's face when he learned | actually had a use for 
some of his hippy bullshit. 


Dipping my finger into my cut, | scribbled some words onto the door 
of the stall. | waited a minute, and pushed open the door. Larissa's 
eyes widened in surprise as she saw what was beyond it. No longer 
was there a park leading out, instead there was a vast Library. 


"Head in there and wait for me, read a few books if you'd like.” | 
said, "I'll go check up on you in a bit." 


"Uh..." She looked nervously at the expanse of shelves beyond the 
door. 


"Go!" | pushed her through the door, just before the ritual faded, and 
| shut the door again. 


It took a minute to wash off my blood and make sure my cut was 
hidden by the sleeve. With that done | opened the door to the stall, 
now leading back into the park. Sure enough, Jackie was right there. 


"Allison?" He said, "What are you still doing here?" 
"Well, isn't it obvious?" | said, "This is a toilet, right?" 


"Yeah, it is..." Jackie pushed me out of the way, stepping into the 
stall. He looked around, even ran his hand against the walls, "Oh, 
damn." He muttered, stepping out again. 


"What were you doing?" | said. 

"Well, | had thought she might be hiding in here. | think she doesn't 
make anything at all, just conjures up illusions... does that make 
sense?" He asked. 

"As much as anything.” | said with a shrug. 

"Anyways, after thinking about that | figured that the best place to 
hide would be someplace enclosed, that people aren't going to pay 
much attention to." 


"So you thought she'd hide in the toilet?" | said. 


"Yeah, but she isn't here." He said, "| guess she's hiding somewhere 
else then." 


"Could be anywhere, if she really can make illusions." | said. 


"Basically." He groaned, "We really are going to have to tear apart 
this place." 


"Well, good luck with that." | said with a wave, "See you later 
Jackie." 


"Yeah, | guess. See you later too Ally." He waved back, before going 
back to thinking about his search. | myself just walked away, | didn't 
have any reason to be here at all. 


Really, | need to get my curiosity under control. 


Life and Death 


One minute. 


He feels himself growing. It hurts, but he can take it. The real pain 
hasn't even started yet, anyways. He knows this pain all too well, he 
has felt it every time someone turns that key. He looks around, with 
glassy young eyes. These doctors, they don't know what pain is. 
They would leave him alone if they knew what it was like. 


Five minutes. 


It really hurts now. He can feel bones moving, setting themselves 
into place. He feels muscles contracting, then expanding again. The 
growth spurts are definitely the worst part. He struggles to stand, 
hoping that he can get both legs the same length long enough to 
prop himself up. Stranger things have happened. 


Ten minutes. 


The bones are really cracking now, growing at the most accelerated 
pace of the cycle. The growths spurts happen quickly and randomly. 
Hair grows on his face, and all around him there are doctors, taking 
notes. He feels humiliated by their presence, and the pain. It is the 
worst here. The pain is unbearable. And death is so very far away... 


Twenty minutes. 


Every bone in his body aches. He can't even think through this pain. 
He just curls into a ball and whispers to himself that it will be over 
soon, and that the pain won't last forever. He doesn't believe it. 
These doctors, with their clipboards, they would never let him be 
free. They would just keep turning the key, every day, to see if 
something new could happen. But it never would. 


Thirty minutes. 


The pain is less now, and the growing has almost stopped. But now 
came the part he dreaded the most. he watched his body slowly 
accrue wrinkles, his flesh become soft and round. Getting old was 
the hardest part, because he had to watch himself die. 


Forty minutes. 


The decay was happening faster now. He could remember back 
when he was at the other place, they would laugh at him here. They 
called him names and sipped scotch while he slowly died in front of 
them. They were monsters. The doctors were monsters too, but at 
least they kept their judgements to themselves. He winced as warts 
started growing in. 


Fifty minutes. 


He could feel the end coming, it would be over soon. He watched as 
his hair fell out, followed by his teeth. He had never gotten to wear 
dentures, so gums were all he got. Didn't matter. Even if he 
experienced a lifetime of hunger, they wouldn't feed him. All they 
ever did was watch. 


Sixty minutes. 


Closer now. He felt death approaching, and he was grateful. Soon 
he could return to rest, untroubled by this pain. His body was a mass 
of wrinkles now, with age spots and moles dotting his chest. His 
eyes were cloudy, and he couldn't hear the scientists now. Not like 
they had ever spoken a word to him anyways. 


Seventy-five minutes. 


It would be over soon. He could feel his body starting to break away. 
It was all over. Once more, the ordeal was over. 
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust 


SCP-894: Speak No, Hear No, See No 


Item #: SCP-894 
Object Class: Safe 


Special Containment Procedures: All copies of SCP-894-1 and 
SCP-894-2 are available for researcher use. Copies of SCP-894-3 
require permission by a member of Senior Staff. When not checked 
out, copies of SCP-894-1 and SCP-894-2 are to be stored in SCP 
containment locker 12 at Site 19. Copies of SCP-894-3 are to be 
stored in containment locker 47. There are to be only two keys to 
locker 47, one for the Site Director and one for the most senior 
researcher on site. Both key holders must be present in order for 
locker 47 to be opened. Only Level 4 researchers are allowed 
access to SCP-894-3. 


Description: SCP-894-1, 2 and 3 are a number of small plastic 
monkeys, each set with a slightly different mold. SCP-894-1 is 
molded so that the monkey's hands are covering its mouth. 
SCP-894-2 is shaped in such a way that the monkey's hands are 
covering its ears. SCP-894-3 is shaped in such a way that the 
monkey's hands are covering its eyes. On the bottom of each copy 
is stamped 'The Factory.’ Copies of SCP-894 are easily destroyed, 
whether through brute strength or applied heat. 


When any living being within five meters of SCP-894-1 makes visual 
contact with a specimen, they are rendered incapable of vocalization 
for a period of 24 hours. In humans, function of the vocal cords has 
been observed to continue during this time, and operation of the 
tongue and jaw is uninhibited, except during a conscious attempt to 
produce language or other meaningful sound. In addition, speech 
processing and written forms of communication are unimpaired. It 
has therefore been concluded that the effect is sourced in those 
areas of the brain associated with speech production. It has been 
shown that subjects suffering from severe visual agnosia or are 
otherwise incapable of identifying SCP-894-1 are unaffected. 


Containment's A Beach 


Charles Panthe looked over the Site-78 proposal one more time. All 
the paperwork was in order. It had all the right signatures (except for 
his). Hell, the proposal almost made it sound stupid that the 
Foundation hadn't built this thing years ago. But it still felt so... so 
wrong. 


“You’re serious about this?” Panthe asked the man sitting in front of 
his desk. 


“Does Oh-Four’s signature look like a joke?” Dr. Hedler replied. 
“No, but... a site on the beach?” 


“A Foundation site for aquatic anomalies, specifically those that 
require large amount of—” 


“Of sea water yeah, | read it. Aren’t the Canary Islands a prime 
tourist trap?” 


“Actually, not on all of the islands. Lobos is largely uninhabited, and 
we have good relations with Spain so we will have little trouble 
building it.” 


“And you've got a portion of the budget dedicated to ‘leisure’!” 


“While | agree it isn’t the most descriptive term, that budget 
generally gets used for the break room, as well as psychological and 
emotional habilitation. Like the dogs that we rent on Wednesdays to 
improve D-Class morale, and stress relief for staff. | believe it's part 
of your Site-17 budget.” 


“Um... why yes | suppose it is...” Pathe hadn’t actually read the full 
budget for his site in ages. He just checked that the R&D, security, 
and emergency funds were reasonable, and then signed. Kind of 

assumed the accountants had worked everything else out. He had 


also forgotten about the dogs. He quickly added the event to his 
calendar. 


“But this will be a regular site like any other. Just in a more pleasant 
climate than most.” 


“Ok... | mean Oh-Four already signed off. This is really just a 
formality at this point.” 


And Charles Panthe signed off on the document. 


597 Days Later 


“But shouldn’t that have been accounted for in the construction of 
the habitat?” 


“We thought we had, but it turns out SCP-4591’s corrosive 
properties were stronger than we anticipated. It might've been aided 
by the salt in the water as well.” 


“That doesn’t excuse the fact that currently, there are at least a 
hundred acid sardines swimming around the Mediterranean, and we 
have no clue where they are. Not to mention the air shark that got 
relocated there, and like fourteen other anomalies that those 
concrete walls were holding in.” 


“Actually, the sardines have probably reached the Atlantic by now.” 
“You're not helping your case.” 


“Right, right.” It hadn’t even been two years, and Site-78 opened, 
and the funding was already being pulled. Everything had been 
running smoothly, until a group of anomalous sardines destroyed the 
reinforced concrete walls used throughout Site-78. The holes had 
formed in their chamber a month into containment, before testing 
was complete. 


“And now you’re asking for extra budget not just for repairs, but also 
for underwater robots to survey the site for destruction?” 


“Well we considered giving personnel diving training and equipment, 


but realized that aquatic drones would be more cost eff—* 


“Just stop it, Hedler. You’re a smart guy, you gave this a real shot. 
But it’s time to face the facts. Your containment beach had a 
containment breach. I’m not signing for additional budget when we 
can just build oversized fish tanks like we always have.” 


"I, um... ok. | understand. Thank you for your time." Dr. Hedler 
picked up his new proposal and started toward the door. 


Panthe stood up and shouted after him, "Hey, it's Wednesday! The 
dogs should still be outside." 


Life Itself 


"Hey, can | show you something? Don't worry, | promise it won't be 
gross. It's hard to explain. You're just going to have to follow me." 


"Oh, good, you caught up! Listen to me. I'm going to open the barn 
doors and whatever you do, don't close your eyes. Not even for a 
split second. You can't even blink. | won't be able to live with myself 
if you do. Do you understand? | won't open the door unless you 
promise not to close your eyes... Good. Be ready." 


"Real spacious in here, isn't it? The thing | want to show you is right 
behind that pillar. Why are you afraid? Is it really that scary looking? 
| think it looks really nice." 


"Why? Ah... | guess | can't blame you for not knowing. | might as 
well explain what | mean. Remember when | made you promise not 
to close you eyes? | showed Jamison this thing a few days ago. 
Well... Let's just say that thanks to him, | know not to even blink 
around it. It snapped his neck. He died. My cousin died." 


"Of course you thought he broke his neck. | was the one who had to 
make it look like an accident. Do you really believe that my aunt 
would believe me for a second if | told her that a magic statue-man 
did it. | don't want to go to jail for something | didn't do, and you'd do 
the same in my shoes!"