"She had her chance, so now it's my turn to be remembered."
.
An SCP-7608 device in its dormant state
Item #: SCP-7608
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-7608 are to be contained in standard anomalous item lockers with their associated discs. Discs are only to be removed from SCP-7608 in the event of testing. SCP-7608 is not to be handled by personnel with previous or current musical or theater backgrounds.
In the event of an SCP-7608 activation, staff are to be monitored for exposure to cognitohazardous material, and are to affirm that the songs of their youth have long since ended.
Description: SCP-7608 refers to a collection of anomalously modified Panasonic SL-S250C Portable CD Players and discs. Although inert while dormant, when activated, SCP-7608 plays a pre-recorded track, prompting the listener to repeat a collection of instructions.
Digital analysis of the recording has led to the theory that SCP-7608 acts as an aid to the listener's musical ability. This theory is based on the patterns of distribution surrounding SCP-7608, and the mention of an upcoming concert or musical production in a majority of collected instances. Further analysis has revealed cognitohazardous distortions, in the form of background noise, that directly affects areas of the brain responsible for self-identity and memory.
SCP-7608 was distributed from the late 90s to the early 00s by a company known as Syncope, a reputable seller operating beyond the Veil. Devices recovered prior to distribution include discs labeled with the name of the destination school, followed by 'rehearsal tape'. It is theorized that SCP-7608 has the potential to affect upwards of 1 in 9 individuals under the age of 18 in the United States. At the time of this article's creation, only 1/3 of distributed SCP-7608 devices have entered containment.
The first recovered footage of SCP-7608 in use was a Youtube video flagged by MTF ETA-11 "Savage Beasts" Euryd.AIC for anomalous content. Although the name of the channel was corrupted, the video, titled The Curtain Call Never Came, was uploaded as part of a series of song covers and monologues. The video had around 23 views before it was removed— few will remember it existed at all.
«Begin Log»
<A hand is moved from in front of the camera. A girl sits at her desk, leaning forward and muttering to herself. After a moment, she leans back and smiles.>
???: Hello, everyone! My name is [DATA CORRUPTED], a rising senior at Kendale Lakes High, and this is my last video before auditions. <She sighs.> Now, I was talking with Ms. Rickers, and she could tell I was… nervous.
<She laughs awkwardly.>
???: I mean, how could I not be; senior year and the best I've done is ensemble. This is the only chance I have left to show everyone how hard I've been working. <She clears her throat.> Anyways, she gave me this—
<She holds SCP-7608 up to the camera.>
???: — she said it would help guide me, said she used it when she was the star of her high school's show which, don't get her started on. I barely made the bus in time; she would have told me about every single scene if I didn't stop her.
<A pause.>
???: But time goes on; she had her chance, so now it's my turn to be remembered.
<She sets SCP-7608 on the desk and presses 'play'. After a moment, it creaks and whirs, before softening to a crackling noise.>
SCP-7608: Repeat after me.
???: Alright! <A pause.> Oh, my bad. Repeat after me.
SCP-7608: Who am I?
???: [DATA CORRUPTED].
<SCP-7608 goes silent, the soft, steady sound of snare drums is heard. [DATA CORRUPTED] shakes her head. Her pupils dilate, and the music stops.>
???: Who am I?
SCP-7608: When the year has ended, where will I remain in their memories?
???: […]
SCP-7608: A name in ink in a yearbook? An example of a shining student in class or theater? Or will I leave entirely without making a wave?
???: Guys, isn't this so—
SCP-7608: I said. Repeat. After. Me. Again.
<She tenses her shoulders and looks into the camera.>
???: […]
SCP-7608: When these halls empty in May, fleeting friends and teachers gone, what will be left to see?
???: […] (Whispering) Geez, what a bummer.
SCP-7608: There will be nothing worth seeing, for you never saw what you had.
???: […]
<The camera glitches; when the picture returns, [DATA CORRUPTED]'s eyes are blurred. She does not react.>
SCP-7608: When the encore ends, faceless audience clapping, what will be left to say?
???: […]
SCP-7608: There will be nothing worth saying, for you have wasted your words and your time on a juvenile dream.
<The camera glitches; [DATA CORRUPTED]'s mouth is blurred. She does not react.>
SCP-7608: And under the flood lights, when the home team triumphs, and the band plays its victory tunes, what will be left to hear?
<All ambient noise goes silent. An instrumental version of The Four Seasons' "December, 1963" begins to play softly.>
SCP-7608: Only then will we crowd the field, singing all at once in remembrance of the best night of our lives.
<[DATA CORRUPTED] sways at her desk. The sound of casual conversation can be heard from the tape; voices talk about half time, the quarterback, seeing a movie in town. [DATA CORRUPTED]'s voice can be heard on the recording, rehearsing lines and warming up with scales. This goes on for approximately 4 minutes and 30 seconds until the song ends.>
SCP-7608: And we will live on in your memory forever more.
<SCP-7608 goes silent as [DATA CORRUPTED] begins to cry. The recording continues for an additional 5 minutes before ending.>
«End Log»