Prayer Beads

Former home of Fra. Meza

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: When not being used for testing, item SCP-XXXX is to be kept in a hermetically-sealed, soundproof case in Site-17. Access is limited to researchers and containment specialists Level 3 and higher.

Researchers and test subjects working with the item are to undergo regular psychological screening to monitor for stress, and shall be required to report any potentially distressing events in their personal lives to their supervisors prior to having access.

Individual instances of SCP-XXXX-1 may each require unique containment procedures depending on the nature of the subject. Unique procedures are to be drawn up at the discretion of researchers working on this project and the senior-most researcher or containment specialist currently assigned to this item. New instances of SCP-XXXX-1 are to be treated as Euclid-level items until either:

the subject expires,

no anomalous activity related to the instance of SCP-XXXX-1 is noted for 180 days, or

the subject is deemed otherwise Safe or not needing containment, as approved by the most senior staff member assigned to this item

Any unique containment protocols and procedures are to be logged with all testing documentation for each instance. See Addendum XXXX-2012-04-05 for further information.

Due to the nature of SCP-XXXX-2, it is currently uncontained. A reward is available to anyone able to capture the entity As of ██/██/████ no Foundation personnel may attempt to contact, capture or otherwise interfere with this entity until its nature and motivations may be more closely studied. See Incident Report XXXX-2012-04-05 -O5-█

Addendum XXXX-2012-04-05 Addendum XXXX-2012-04-05 Regular updates must be provided to ensure that researchers shall have no cause to abuse the anomalous effects of SCP-XXXX. Failure to report a stressful event or personal crisis shall result in the offender being administered Class-A amnesiacs and at least one of: demotion to entry-level researcher or reassignment to a different containment site. It is also recommended to administer Class-C amnesiacs to any D-class personnel used in testing, unless memory of SCP-XXXX's capabilities is necessary for the purposes of research. I know it's annoying, but I think we can all agree that it's better not to tempt people with knowledge of XXXX to potentially use its anomalous properties. Nobody wants a repeat of what happened to Dr. S████, especially given how much worse things could have been. —Dr. █████

Addendum XXXX-2012-04-06 Addendum XXXX-2012-04-06 You people were testing a wish-granting SCP using D-class?! What in the hell is wrong with you?! It's a good thing Dr. S████ paid so dearly for his misuse of the thing, or I'd have him scrubbing 173's cell until he died of old age. No more D-class. That's an order. Expect more oversight from now on. I won't have any more incidents. -O5-██

Description: SCP-XXXX is a set of prayer beads. The individual beads are made from an alternating set of different ornamental materials, including jade, amethyst, topaz, turquoise and fossilized bone of an unknown origin (see Document XXXX-05 for details). Each bead has an intricately-carved pattern, also of a style unknown to any Foundation art or religion historian, however many people among non-historian laity have described it as being reminiscent of the arabesque style.

SCP-XXXX was recovered from the personal effects of Fra. Bartolomé Meza, a brother of the Trappist order at Monasterio Sta Maria de Río Seco, near the Atacama Desert in Chile, during a missing persons investigation. Fra. Meza was reported missing by the abbot to the local authorities on █████ 1983. The abbot reported that Fra. Meza would frequently take walks in the desert to meditate and pray, citing that "it reminds him of Christ's fast in the desert". The police were not able to locate Meza after a few days of searching, ruling the case closed, citing that the friar likely became lost during his walk and died of dehydration or exposure.

Meza's personal effects were taken into police custody during the course of the investigation, at which point the anomalous properties of SCP-XXXX were discovered.

Anyone using the prayer beads to "pray for something", hereafter referred to as SCP-XXXX-1, will have that request granted, however it will often have unforeseen, often severe, consequences, in some cases up to and including SCP-XXXX-1 ending up in a worse position than had they never made the request. For example, an instance of SCP-XXXX-1 may request a promotion at work, which they will receive, but only because their colleague would be killed on the way to work in an automobile accident. In some cases, SCP-XXXX-1 would end up being terminated or demoted from their position due to being unqualified or incompetent.

The requests can be granted immediately, or after several months, with no apparent pattern to the delay.

In certain cases, users of SCP-XXXX report seeing or interacting with a humanoid entity (designated SCP-XXXX-2). This entity has been described with varying appearances, including an old man, a Foundation scientist, or a beggar. Regardless of the appearance, SCP-XXXX-1 is never able to recall the face of the individual to which they speak, saying the person had a very forgettable face.

At this time, the extents to which SCP-XXXX is able to answer requests for prayer are not known. It is known, however, that prayers must be verbalized for any effect.

Recovery Report XXXX-05 Recovery Report XXXX-05 Sgt. Vargas, a devout Catholic, and an officer involved in the investigation of Fra. Meza's disappearance, appropriated the rosary while praying for his wife to have a healthy son . Sra. Vargas was rushed to the hospital the following day, in labor, where she gave birth to a healthy, male child. His faith strengthened, he claimed that the rosary, since it used to belong to a monk, was holy, causing his colleagues to request use of the beads in their own prayers. Two of the more interesting requests came from Officers Diaz and Ruiz-Lopez, the former also a practicing (though not devout) Catholic, the latter an atheist who overtly practiced Catholicism due to social pressures. Diaz prayed for a promotion to Capo 2 , both for prestige and for additional salary. Ruiz-Lopez did not initially take part in the use of SCP-XXXX, but was convinced to try it after observing what appeared to be the answered prayers of his colleagues. Ruiz-Lopez asked for wealth to buy a house for himself and his paramour, so they could begin a family. On 9 August 1983, 3 weeks after giving birth to their son, Sra. Vargas suddenly collapsed at their home and died en route to the hospital. An autopsy showed the cause of death was a viral infection, likely sustained at the hospital while giving premature birth to the child. Following this, Sgt. Vargas left the son at the home of a colleague, Cap. Garcia, to be looked after by his wife while they worked. On 12 August 1983, an earthquake caused the partial collapse of the Garcia residence, killing Sra. Garcia, his daughter, and the son of Sgt. Vargas. Upon hearing the news, Vargas was reported to have been extremely distressed and upset with Garcia, blaming him for building a shoddy house , and shot Garcia twice in the abdomen and once in the head following an argument. Vargas was removed from his position on the police force and is currently serving a life sentence for Garcia's murder. Diaz was promoted following this incident, to fill the gap in the ranks left by the departure of Vargas, but was demoted almost immediately due to a botched operation which resulted in [DATA EXPUNGED]. Roughly one month later, on 9 September 1983, Ruiz-Lopez was approached by an unidentified person while on a routine patrol, requesting assistance in recovering a knapsack that was stolen earlier. While the recovery of the knapsack was uneventful, the victim (now known to be SCP-XXXX-2), thanked Ruiz-Lopez for keeping the streets safe and handed him a small pouch full of coins as a token of gratitude, then walked into an alley and out of sight. Ruiz-Lopez reported that the coins were too heavy to be Chilean currency and "looked really old." At the advice of Diaz, the officer took the coins to a museum in a nearby city, where it was discovered that the coins were part of a collection stolen several years prior. Ruiz-Lopez was subsequently arrested on suspicion of grand larceny when it became known that he matched the description of a thief seen stealing the coins. The officer was removed from his position, despite being acquitted due to lack of evidence and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Further accounts of SCP-XXXX's recovery can be found in Document XXXX-03, below

Document XXXX-03 (Level 2 access required) Document XXXX-03 (access granted) The following are excerpts from Fra. Meza's personal journal, recovered during the police investigation. 5 May 1982 A most interesting meditation this day! I came upon a man trekking by himself through my usual grounds. He was, himself, rather unremarkable but for this set of prayer beads hanging from his knapsack. I asked him what a man was doing out in the desert by himself, so far from any neighboring cities. He curtly asked me the same question, to which I had no response. Seeming amused by this, he said that he had found his prayer beads in a nearby cave, and that it was likely left there by missionaries long ago. In exchange for a drink of water, he passed the beads into my care, saying that "us holy men would probably take better care of them than he would." 6 May 1982

Fra. Mendez required assistance after my excursion yesterday, so I was not able to make my daily prayers before being forced to retire due to exhaustion. Today, I decided to examine these prayer beads that came into my care. To say these are strange would be an understatement! I have not ever seen in my many years on this earth such a strange rosary. The stones, the patterns, the [illegible].

I don't believe I will turn these into the abbot just yet. He will certainly want to stow them away somewhere before they can be examined more closely. 1 June 1982

I chanced to look at these beads again. There are strange patterns on them, but I cannot, for all my studies, discern from whence they came. They certainly look to be heathen in origin, but not of any Maya, Inca, Aztec or Olmec pattern. These are something else entirely.

I am also not so certain about what these beads really are. Some look to be made from turquoise yet others… bone perhaps? What strange men of God would craft a rosary from such things? 3 June 1982

The abbot discovered that I had been neglecting my duties to pursue studying this relic. He insisted that I relinquish the artifact to him and return to more Godly pursuits. The Christ would not have us treat our fellow man ill, but I often wish this abbot would leave me in peace to my studies. What harm could I be doing? 15 July 1982

The abbot died suddenly today. He slipped on a recently-washed floor and broke his neck. I felt that I was partially to blame, considering that I had just scrubbed it, however Bishop ██████ said I should not blame myself, for the Lord giveth and He taketh away.

I am not proud to admit this, but I reclaimed the artifact from the abbot's office while the others were attending Mass in his honor. 5 September 1982

I have been having terrible visions in my dreams. Faceless men in the desert. I pray for the dreams to stop, but to no avail. 10 October 1982

It has been two weeks since I have been able to sleep. The visions have stopped, but why can I not rest? It confounds me and saps me of my strength. Perhaps a walk in the desert should help me. I will pray for relief from the Lord. 30 October 1982

I saw him again today. The man who gave me the prayer beads months ago. Perhaps he could see that I had not slept in… I do not remember how long it has been… but he asked how I was feeling. I told him that I pray every day to be able to rest, but my pleading is unheeded. He asked me, "Do you believe that the Lord has forgotten about you?". What foolishness! The Lord, our God, sent his Son to die for us. How could He forget? The man smirked, shook his head and said "Be careful what you wish for." I can't remember what he looks like. I need to rest, yes. 20 November 1982

I have been sleeping again, but now have developed a cough that will not abate. At first, I thought it may be due to the desert sands in my lungs, but the doctors say otherwise. I pray for an answer soon. 22 November 1982

Ever since I took the vows to become a friar, I feared no death, for the Lord walks with me. Yet knowing that this growth will claim my life in months fills me with dread. Did the Christ feel such dread when he went to His death? I must be strong. 10 January 1983

How could I have been so foolish to not see it? My prayers were answered, but I am mocked! When I beg for the nightmares to stop, sleep is taken from me. When I beg for rest, my rest is to be eternal. What sort of God torments His faithful so? Perhaps He even claimed the abbot when I said I wished to continue studying that damned rosary.

No, I must not think this way. 5 Feb 1983

I am sure of it now. Somehow this rosary is the source of my woes. It is madness to think so, but part of me thinks God was not the one answering my prayers. Whoever answers my prayers wishes to mock me — to prey upon my weakness for its own sick ends. What they are, I know not. ██████ 1983

My time among the living grows short. I will make this brief as well. This is my Last Will and Testament. Please bequeath all of my meager worldly possessions to the monastery. Except this damnable rosary, whatever it is. Destroy it. Throw it into the sea for all I care. Do not make the mistakes I did.

I will enter the desert again for the last time and do not expect to return. If I can remember the face of the man who gave me this curse, I will destroy him to ensure he cannot spread his evil ever again. Note: A corpse showing severe blunt force trauma to several areas as well as growths consistent with Stage 4 lung cancer was found at the coordinates ██████, ██████ roughly 8 weeks after the final entry in this journal.

Document XXXX-14 (Level 3 access required) Document XXXX-14 (access granted) Partial test log for Item # SCP-XXXX. Preface: It has been determined from prior testing that the item has some unknown means of detecting whether or not its user really "means it." For this reason, testing must be done by allowing subjects to choose their own requests without excessive outside interference. Steps may be taken to "influence" what is requested, however results are by no means guaranteed. The best you can really hope for is to plant the idea in the subject's head and let them come to their own decisions about what to pray for. It is my recommendation that, for better control, D-class personnel with high suggestibility are used. —Dr. S████ Date: 01/15/2011

Subject: D-XXXX14-1. 40 year-old African-American male. Strong religious belief (US mainline Protestantism).

Summary of recorded prayers: Subject requested that: 1) his mother would have enough money to keep up with her mortgage and 2) his petty criminal cousin would "get off the streets". Results: Subject's cousin was arrested after stealing roughly $50k worth of cash from an armored car on 2/13/2011. Cash was not recovered. Subject's cousin currently serving 15 years in ████████ Federal Prison. Subject's mother suspected of having received the stolen cash but was not charged due to lack of evidence. Date: 01/16/2011

Subject: D-XXXX77-2. 32 year-old Caucasian female. Moderate religious belief (Roman Catholic). Concurrently assisting with experimentation on SCP-███.

Summary of recorded prayers: Subject requested to get out of SCP-███ duties

Results: Subject caused containment breach of SCP-███ roughly 2 weeks later, resulting in several injuries to Foundation personnel and one D-class fatality. Subject reassigned to duty on SCP-████. Date: 01/17/2011

Subject: D-XXXX31-3. 40 year-old Hispanic male. Lapsed Catholic. Suffering from stage 3 lymphoma after exposure to SCP-████

Summary of recorded prayers: Subject requested that "God provide [him] a sign that [He] is listening"

Results: First observed appearance of SCP-XXXX-2 directly recorded by Foundation personnel. An unknown person posing as Foundation security entered subject's living quarters and had a conversation with D-XXXX31-3. SCP-XXXX-2 explained that someone was listening and that D-XXXX31-3 would not have to worry about his disease much longer. D-XXXX31-3 expired the following morning due to a sudden internal hemorrhage. Autopsy indicated a ruptured tumor that caused severe bleeding.

See Audio Log XXXX-14-31-3 for details. Date: 01/18/2011

Subject: D-XXXX32-4. 23 year-old Caucasian male. Atheist.

Summary of recorded prayers: None, initially. Subject expressed disgust at being offered "superstitious bullshit." Prayed for "a hot blonde chick with huge tits in a skimpy bikini" to appear in his living quarters when he returned.

Results: D-XXXX32-4 is now devoutly religious. No further anomalous behavior detected.

Notes: Interesting. It appears that negative consequences are not guaranteed. I think we can classify this object as Safe and allow limited Foundation staff access to it under very controlled conditions —Dr. S████ Note from Dr. S████: As of 6/23/2011, any Foundation researchers may have access to this object, provided they are aware of its potential side-effects. For the time being, it seems like the worst side effects should be limited to the user's family, so if they can accept what they may be doing, they can use it. [DATA EXPUNGED] Date: 03/03/2012

Subject: Dr. S████. Senior Foundation Researcher (level 4 clearance). Dr. S████ was in the middle of a bitter divorce at this time. -O5-█

Summary of recorded prayers: [DATA EXPUNGED]

Results: [DATA EXPUNGED]. All incidents occurred 2 weeks after prayers were noted. Foundation containment personnel assigned to SCP-XXXX noted that Dr. S████ was greatly distressed following the events of 03/17/2012 and was placed on suicide watch by medical staff -O5-█ Date: 04/05/2012

Subject: Dr. S████. Senior Foundation Researcher (level 4 clearance). The subject convinced containment staff that he required access to the object. Addendum XXXX-2012-04-05 has been added to containment procedures following this lapse in judgment. All responsible staff have been terminated. -O5-█

Summary of recorded prayers: A face-to-face meeting with SCP-XXXX-2

Results: See Incident Report XXXX-2012-04-05

Incident Report XXXX-2012-04-05 (O5 access required) Incident Report XXXX-2012-04-05 (ACCESS GRANTED) Interview Log

Dr. S████, Senior Foundation Researcher (level 4 clearance)

SCP-XXXX-2



Note: On 04/05/2012, Dr. S████ used SCP-XXXX to request a face-to-face meeting with SCP-XXXX-2. Meeting took place in a Foundation interrogation room, which had full audio and video recording capabilities.

Dr. S████: Do you know why I asked you to come here?

SCP-XXXX-2: I think I have a good idea. What I'd like to know is if you really know why you called me here.

S████: Fuck you! Don't play games with me anymore. What the hell did you do to my family?

XXXX-2: Me? You wished for this. I just gave you what you wanted. 12 second pause. S████ appears visibly upset.

XXXX-2: Look, it's not my fault you never paused to consider the consequences of what you were doing.

S████ begins to sob quietly

XXXX-2: Oh come on! Stop being such a baby! You act like this is somehow my fault. You saw first hand what happened to those — what do you call them, D-class? — that you gave my little bauble. What, you think you're so special?

S████: That was different! These people are— they exist to make our research possible! They're— they were…

XXXX-2: They were what? Disposable? You're all disposable to me. You're nothing but whiny little cunts who piss and moan to your imaginary friends every time the going gets tough.

S████: What about all those lives you destroyed?

XXXX-2: Oh, I destroy lives, is that the way of it? I'm sure all those people you so happily called disposable didn't have anything destroyed.

S████: (shouting) I'm not like that!

XXXX-2: You really are. It's not so great when it's you who pays the price for being an entry in one of your little journals.

S████ sobs louder, continuing for 28 seconds

XXXX-2: You know, as long as I can remember, people have been calling to their gods for help when things went bad: protect my crops, bring my husband home from the war, save me from the plague. They'd also call out from lust or desire, like some monks and sheriffs in that pisshole of a desert community. Nobody listens, though. Well. Okay, I listen. Sometimes. When I do listen, I like to add a little bit of spice to their lives. Yeah, your husband returns from the war, but you never mentioned alive. Yeah, you're saved from the plague, but when bandits cut your throat to steal your possessions, plague won't bother you anyway. Yeah, you'll get that money or that power, but there'll be that extra something special involved. Sometimes I'll just let you have it, but that's just when I'm too lazy to go that extra step.

S████: Who are you anyway?

XXXX-2: It doesn't really matter, does it? Nobody will remember my face, I saw to that when I found that thing you now keep locked away.

S████: Are… are you human?

XXXX-2: What do you think?

S████: You look like one.

XXXX-2: Yeah, I do. Doesn't mean I can't have fun, though.

S████: What? What fun?

XXXX-2: Ah… nevermind. You wouldn't get it. I just enjoy a nice jape now and then.

S████ sniffles. XXXX-2 stands up and begins to move toward the room's exit

S████: Wait, where are you going?

XXXX-2: I'm leaving. You got what you wanted.

S████: T-that's it? You're not going to [DATA EXPUNGED] like you did with my family?

XXXX-2: Your family? Right. I'd forgotten about that. No — no I won't be doing that again. It gets old.

S████: So that's it?

XXXX-2: No. Not quite. I don't suppose you ever stopped to consider the consequences of bringing me into Site-17, did you? Especially given what you already know about my bauble and what you must surely have inferred about my little japes?

10 seconds of silence

XXXX-2: sigh You're no fun. I'm going to go find someone else to talk to. I'll send someone more your type to come talk to you. Note: at this point, XXXX-2 exits the room and is not able to be further traced by Foundation surveillance. Immediately following this interview, SCP-████ and SCP-████ broke containment, resulting in the total loss of MTF-████ and the deaths of ██ researchers, including Dr. S████. SCP-XXXX-2 has not been sighted since the incident. All further attempts to contact SCP-XXXX-2 are hereby forbidden.

A list of tests used to ascertain the nature and properties of SCP-XXXX's abilities can be accessed in