MEMORY LOG

Opening Statement: The following document was written by Dr. Collins after he initially interacted with SCP-4983.

[BEGIN LOG]

The memory begins completely black. The air smells of burning wood with a hint of general musk from the outside forest. I can feel a small hand grabbing onto my left forearm. The hand is gently pulling me down, almost forcing me to lean or fall towards the ground. My heart seems heavy, and I can almost feel every beat as it pumps through me. What is happening?

"Obidiah, tell me a story."

I hear a young girl's voice call out from below me. It sounds like she can't be much older than 7. Her voice is familiar, somehow. But now I can almost taste the thickness of the air. It feels like I should know her name by now.

"Sh, you speak too loud. You can't know all of my stories. How else am I going to surprise you with all the other children?"

"Aw please? Just one. Tell me just one more story."

The hand drops away from my forearm. I can almost feel her eyes beading into me. Her voice sounds weaker than usual. My hand raises to my chin, scratching at my beard. I can almost feel every old and flimsy hair as my fingers go through it . I can also feel the grass rubbing against the bottoms of my toes.

"Well, I guess there may be one story I can tell you."

I begin to chuckle to myself. I can feel my chest heave itself back and forth softly. I hear every vibration from my throat, almost in perfect clarity.

"Really? Tell me, please Obidiah."

"Tell me, little one. Do you know the story of the Viper?"

I knew that this story was one of my favorites. During my studies of the Shêraan mythology and tales, I was taught this story . It's one of the reasons why I went to Shêraa to begin with. They let me in, after I promised to help them. The story was the tale of Hikarktre, the ancient demon that constricted the gods out of wrath, granting itself immense power. Hikarktre was vile, an evil being who wanted nothing but the destruction of the world. His continuous wrath progresses the day into darkness. In Shêraan mythology, it made people's spirits turn cold and harsh. The Shêraan village was once greeted by such a wrath.

Hikarktre was in need of human spirits in order to pass the ancient gates of Oruthla, the world of the Gods. The gate itself would only allow deities and dead spirits to pass through its chains. Hikarktre knew this; and he would go to any lengths to get past the gate. The demon began a search, going to all of the tribes it could find, trying to find anyone willing to be used as an offering to the gate. Then, the demon came to the Shêraan. It wanted to get into Oruthla, so it asked to bargain with the village. It said that it could help them. The village was suffering from a great sickness. They didn't know how to stop it from spreading.

In the end, It received its wish. With the sacrifice of 20 beings, it was able to force the gates open and begin its attack. Thankfully, the attack was not successful. The gods were able to repel the demon from Orthula. But it came at great cost. Hikarktre was able to badly wound Minotros, the ancient god of purity and sun. This wound nearly ended the god's life, but he was saved. In the end, Minotros will never again be able to keep the sun above the Shêraan's heads forever. The sun, for which they believed to be the reason for their pure spirits, now could turn dark. This darkness allowed for impurity. Hikarktre knew that, and it gave the demon great pleasure.

"Remember, little one, you need to know this. If you see it, you must run. If you hear it, you must run. If you feel it, you must run. Never, ever, bargain with the Viper…"

Hikarktre still uses the darkness for his pleasure. He attacks the unsuspecting, hoping to find more sacrifices for his next attempt at getting to Orthula. The demon is relentless. He will try again. But… I can't tell her that. Not right now. It might scare her.

"How are you feeling, Shriena?"

Shriena… this girl has been bedridden for weeks now. The Shêraan people didn't understand what it was. To me, it looked like a seriously rare case of glaucoma or something. Her eyes were nearly blind by this point. The village is hopeful that it will fade with prayer, but I know she has little hope of stopping the disease. It wasn't bad by this point, but it could only get worse.

"Okay, Obidiah. I have been told to lay, and hope the Gods favor me in this time of need."

"You will get better, just give it time."

"Yes, Obidiah. I pray I will…"

She won't.

[END LOG]

Closing Statement: Dr. Collins has requested an investigation into the girl Obidiah came into contact with. Foundation personnel granted the request on 07/09/2019 and has sent a team to investigate.