Information
Name: Emperor Of The Puppetshow
Author: BitOddInnit
Rating: 23/55
Created at: Sat Oct 07 2023
Item #: SCP-7460
Class: Keter
Sacrae Causā Prōcēdendae: We are, at this moment in time, unable to protect against SCP-7460 in any meaningful, widespread way. Currently, the Fundamentum's cover story for SCP-7460 occurrences is to pin the blame for the victim's transformation on them having been cursed by a Witch. Should any countermeasure to SCP-7460 be devised, it is to be put in place immediately to prevent further casualties. Personnel will be informed of these measures, as it is not our aim to confuse those who serve our cause.
While it is unknown if it is possible to ward off SCP-7460 events, the Fundamentum recommends performing as many of the following actions as possible if any feel they are at risk of becoming a victim of SCP-7460:
While the occurrence of SCP-7460 is not limited to one geographic region, it appears to be far more likely to affect individuals aged between thirty and forty and are married. The reason for this, if any, is unknown.
Individuals asleep in the same bed as victims of SCP-7460 often report experiencing nightmares prior to awakening to discover the SCP-7460-A instance. These nightmares vary vastly in content, but all have the single connecting factor of the heavy involvement of a young girl in the narrative of the dream.
Addendum:
Shortly following a rise in the number of SCP-7460 occurrences, Professor Vivian MacGuillicudy of the Arcane Institute of Xerophylla reported an exceptionally vivid nightmare, despite no occurrences of SCP-7460 being reported within ten miles of the Institute. The dream was recovered and recorded by the Institute's Oneroiscribe, and has been attached here.
The dream opens, and MacGullicudy is seated in the front row of a theatre, alone. The hall is silent, and the air is still.
It's cold.
Faintly, piano music begins to play from somewhere in the theatre. The curtains raise, and a young girl sits on a stool in the centre of the stage. A number of vaguely humanoid shapes are visible in the gloom behind her. She looks directly at MacGullicudy, and smiles.
???: I hope you enjoy the show.
The girl stands, and a bright light floods the stage. MacGuillicudy finds himself on the stage, sat in a wooden chair and looking at a small puppet's theatre. He looks to his left, seeing a puppet wearing a simple blue dress with black hair, staring straight ahead. A number of strings extend upwards from its upper body, into the gloom above the stage. The young girl stands behind the theatre, two smaller puppets in either hand. She lowers them through the top of the box, and begins to manipulate them in a sort of dance. They writhe about, kicking their arms and waving their legs wildly. He forces a smile, unable to pull his gaze from the two figures. Deep down, he knows it's an awful show that no person in their right mind would ever willingly watch.
Yet watch he does.
The display continues for a matter of moments longer, before the girl suddenly stops, smiling at MacGuillicudy and the puppet. The puppet applauds, its hands clacking with every clap. MacGuillicudy raises his hands, but he appears to be frozen in place, as his chair is dragged backwards, away from the girl and off the stage. The light dims, before darkness consumes his vision. A wind howls in his ears, and the cold bites at his skin like a wall of ice being smashed against him. One of them holds the Torch of Release, its flames flickering red against the wooden backdrop of the theatre's wall.
The light reappears, and MacGuillicudy has returned to his seat in the audience. The stage's curtains are closed again, and they reopen to reveal a Burning. The puppet from the previous scene is slumped over, tied to a pole amid a pile of firewood, its face veiled. The girl is present, looking up at the puppet, surrounded by a group of other puppets, their features indistinct. One holds a Torch of Release in its hand, its bright orange flames casting a flickering shadow along the wall behind the stage. It tosses the torch into the pile of wood, which sparks and bursts into flames. The fire quickly consumes the pile, and climbs up the pole. The attached puppet is set alight at a slower pace than its surroundings, slowly crumbling to ash as the girl and remaining puppets watch. One of them, a facsimile of a bald man with a grey beard, places a hand on her shoulder as she stares straight into the flames.
The lights flicker.
When they return in full, the scene has shifted. The girl, now visibly older, and the bearded puppet from the previous scene are both huddled over a number of books, which cover a pair of long tables. A number of others are strewn about, and incomprehensible markings are drawn onto paper sheets that plaster the wall behind them. They both appear engrossed, and are largely focused on their reading, occasionally raising their heads to silently speak with one another. The music slows slightly, and the girl raises her head. She does not speak, but instead raises a hand, as a number of small, glowing spheres appear floating in her palm. She lightly tosses them into the air, and they float down to the ground, streaming blues and whites as they slowly descend. The puppet raises its head, and stares at the orbs, before conjuring a larger, redder orb and tossing it to the girl. She goes to catch it, and the theatre goes black one final time.
It's cold. It's dark. It's empty.
Wherever MacGuillicudy is, there is nothing. An infinite expanse of void stretches out around him in every direction, an overflowing absence into which he unmovingly plummets. A wind howls, but nothing is felt. Everything is nothing, and the only thing which remains continues his still fall.
Suddenly, it stops, and from behind nothing, the girl enters view.
She approaches MacGuillicudy, her footsteps echoing into the darkness that surrounds them. He can't move, only able to watch as she moves closer.
She stands before him, and wraps her arms around him. Her body is pleasantly warm, but the sensation is uncomfortable, like sleeping in a stranger's bed after an exhausting session of labor.
???: I've been looking for you for so long. I thought maybe the message wasn't getting across.
The wind stops. The piano music can just barely be heard.
???: Did you like it? It's been so long since my last show, I thought you might've forgotten all those times you clapped for my nonsensical little episodes.
The music stops. Silence.
???: I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing one in the flesh again, some day.
The dream ends.
Professor MacGuillicudy has neglected to comment on the dream. Investigation into the individual in the dream is ongoing, although it is debated if they truly exist, as all attempts to divine their location through Familial Scrying have failed to yield any success, at great expense to MacGuillicudy's health.
THE EMPEROR
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