Item #: SCP-1706
Object Class: Euclid
Laconic Containment Procedures: Item is kept in a safe in a building built just for it called Site-441. More than 6 people need to be in the building. Every week they are given mental checkups. Anyone having problems with memories or skills are to be reassigned until they're better, and given amnestics if that isn't enough. Free drugs and food for everyone.
Laconic Description: SCP-1706 is a DVD of an unaired TV show called "Eater of Dreams" made in the late 80s or early 90s1. In the show, seven people live in New York City and ask random people and soldiers about "Eaters". The army is deployed in the city but it's never revealed why. "Eaters" are described as "vampiric" and "cannibalistic" and do something strange to people's minds, leaving them tired and confused.
The show is about how "Eaters" can go anywhere and "eat" from anyone and everyone ignores them despite them not being invisible. One of the seven characters gives a long speech to the viewers that makes no sense.
After someone watches SCP-17062, everyone within a large building-sized area start having unusual mental problems. It's not the same for every person. It starts going away after 4 days if they're removed from the area.
- A 62% of people have their memories changed and sometimes forget skills or abilities or end up learning new skills out of nowhere.
- B 11% experience mood disorders3.
- C 9% experience catatonic schizophrenia, where they freeze up and stay still for hours at a time, sometimes twisting their body in uncomfortable, but not painful ways.
- D 8% experience no change, but everyone else seems to have problems with D people, feeling uncomfortable around them and thinking there might be something wrong with them.
Transcript of monologue delivered by character "Rick"
(Note: As "Rick" speaks, the camera shows a bunch of people standing still on a sidewalk, while the people called "Eaters" try not to be caught on camera.)"I think… funny, how you 'think'… I think it's pretty obvious who the real dreamers are here. It's pleasure, indeed. Yeah? When you can do it, when you want to do something. You do it. You could do things… but will you do them? What's the motivation?
"Do you want it? Do you need it? Animals need. If animals had free food, no goals, not a care in the world, they'd probably stand around all day twitching. You don't get a party for doing 'just enough'. Needs nothing… wants nothing…
"I don't like that. 'Achievements are like drugs', what kind of example is that? What you want and what you desire can't always be the same thing. That doesn't stop them, though. Dreams are like drugs. Dreams are tasty, too. I'd have my fill if I could, too. They're delicate, dreams, of course. I'm not hungry either, fella. Not yet. It's gotta go somewhere until then.
"Didn't you ever wanna be a rock star? A fire-naut? A police officer? Hope they live next door to you. Maybe they'll let you be one for a day.
"It smells, it looks and tastes and feels and isn't. Why does it hurt if it's supposed to be good for you? There is no God but God and God is a God of rigidity, structure, routine, religion, pharmaceuticals, poultry, mist, and might. Necessity… there's a God you can eat.
"I think it's pretty obvious who the real dreamers are here. How do you eat God? Does it taste good? Does it smell? Does it feel squishy? Is it or isn't it? Dreams… it's not the same without them, but we can get through this together, me and all of you. Tune in for next week."
Laconic Incident-30-A: On 11/14/2014, no one on-site answered the phone or emails. At 3 in the morning, another site's security team remote accessed Site-441's security system and saw everyone there was standing around doing nothing. Some of them were twitching or waving their arms or pretending to be doing work. There were also people spotted walking around who were not supposed to be there. They seemed to know where to go and went to the room where SCP-1706 is kept, then they'd leave the building.
None of the people assigned to Site-441 knew what that incident was and didn't detect anything wrong.
They looked at older security footage and found this same weird routine happening every night. Security decided to change their usual routine with the other site and the weird events have apparently stopped. People at Site-441 haven't needed extra sleep or medical attention for standing around all night.
Laconic Addendum: The other site has kept monitoring Site-441 and found that site personnel are still standing around and twitching all night, though the intruders are gone. People on site have been interviewed and given medical checkups and they're all fine.
Security at the other site has also found that calling Site-441 at night when everyone is standing around causes everyone to wake up and return back to normal.