SCP-7323

Every bird you've ever loved ~2500 words

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SCP-7323

SCP-7323-3 in containment.

Item #: SCP-7323

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-7323 is housed in an 18x18x18x in wire cage. The enclosure is equipped with automated seed and water dispensers.

Lighting should be maintained for 24 hours for optimal surveillance.

Direct interaction with SCP-7323 outside of testing is considered nonessential and potentially hazardous.

Description:
SCP-7323 has the appearance of an adult male budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus).

As of 08/01/2023, SCP-7323 has died and appeared to return to life on three occasions. See retrieval and research logs for details.

SCP-7323 is pending classification as a cognition hazard. Evidence collected since SCP-7323's containment suggests that individuals who have witnessed the anomaly's death and revivification exhibit increased affection toward it and concern regarding its captivity.

This effect may further develop into false memories of the death of a pet.

Addendum 7323-A

From: Chris Clark <cclark@██████.███>
Date: Friday, July 28, 2023 10:03 AM
To: Able Jacobs <ajacobs@██████.███>
CC: Arthur Krulwich <akrulwich@██████.███>
Subject: Proposal

Per our discussion, enclosed is a proposal for the immediate revision of SCP-7323’s current, over-elaborate containment procedures, which would be put into practice 08/01/2023. This proposal also recommends the removal of Dr. Joanne Greenwood as head researcher on this case.

Dr. Arthur Krulwich, CLARF’s senior integrated mental health specialist, copied here, cosigns my assessment that interactions with this anomaly may alter a individual's emotional state and cognitive processes.

We believe there is evidence that Dr. Greenwood has been negligent in her duties and, regrettably, may herself be under the influence of SCP-7323.

Addendum 7323-B

The following are excerpts from various recordings of indivudals who witnessed SCP-7323's death and revivification that were flagged as suspicious by Dr. Krulwich, in consultation with Researcher Clark.

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Exerpt from a transcript of surveillance footage from the small animal wing's common area. Mr. W█████ served as a caretaker for SCP-7323. He frequently interacted with the anomaly and witnessed two deaths and revivifications. In this recording, Mr. W appears emotional and is comforted by Mx. J, a member of maintenence staff. They exchange stories related to grieving dead animals.

Mx. J: [ Laughs and slaps Mr. W on the back ] No, listen! This is why I talk to you, man, for real. I was just thinking… when I was a kid, I got in trouble for yelling at the teacher about this story we had to read.

There was a big cobra, and this lonely old man would put out a bowl of milk for it. They're buddies. Then one day he's waiting and the snake never comes…

Mr. W: Aww.

Mx. J: Right? I got mad, like, "Why'd you make me read this?!" I couldn’t cry, obviously. So I yelled.

Mr. W: My thing used to be lizards. You know, it’s Florida. I'd keep some in little tupperware with holes punched in the lid—when I was really young and didn't know better!—and sometimes they'd get out, and I'd find ‘em in a corner all, like, crispy and mummified.

Mx. J: Oh, for sure.

Mr. W: Really creeped me out, so I stopped catching them. [ Long pause ] I'd think about dying that way. Lost, crawling around in some huge, cold building with no grass or bugs or stuff I recognized.

I’d always bury them in the yard. Still do, if I find one.

Note: No record of a short story like the one described by Mx. J could be found. The details of Mr. W's account cannot be confirmed; when interviewed he claimed that he did not remember the conversation.


Excerpt from transcript of a therapy session with Agent C███, who participated in retrieving SCP-7323 and incidentally witnessed the death and revivification of SCP-7323-2. Agent C. has been recieving regular talk therapy after a traumatic incident in the field. In this session, he attributed recent struggles with mental health to the death of his dog.

Agent C.: Pit bull. She was my sweet girl. Never, never a hint of anything from her but sweetness. Wish I'd taken more picture—she had a big doggy grin.

I just didn’t expect to find her like that.

Dr. K: [ Nods ]

Agent C: Did she look for help, for me, and wonder why I wasn’t there for her?
[ A sharp inhale ] At least my team knew I was there. She—ah. That sounds awful, I know. It's displacement or something.

Dr. K: [ Speaking cautiously ] You've never shared this before.

Agent C: [ Shrugs ] There was a civilian we met a bit ago—had to take her pet. Felt bad. [ Shakes his head ] But that's the job. Dunno if birds are even smart enough to miss someone.

Note: There is no record of Agent C. owning a dog, and the HOA policy of his current residence indicate that pit bulls are a banned breed.

SCP-7323 (Archived)

⚠WARNING⚠ YOU ARE VIEWING AN ARCHIVED VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT.
FOR SPECIAL CONTAINMENT PROCEDURES, VIEW THE MOST RECENT VERSION.

---

SCP-7323-1 before containment.

Item #: SCP-7323

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-7323 is housed in the small animal wing of the Carson Live Animal Research Facility (CLARF). Its enclosure is a medium-sized flight cage with 1/2-inch bar spacing.¹ Wood perches of various widths and textures should be replaced as needed.² Enrichment items should be rotated monthly.³

SCP-7323 is fed 10% high-quality seed blend, 25% dandelion greens, and 65% high-quality pelleted diet. SCP-7323 may not always accept pellets; different brands should be introduced, and a seed-only diet supplied if necessary. Fresh water and pellets should be accessible at all times.

Paper cage liners are changed daily, and the cage and items should be cleaned weekly.⁴

Enclosure lighting mimics the day-to-night cycle with a minimum of 12 hours of darkness. A dim light source should always be present to reduce risk of night frights.

Caretaker interactions with SCP-7323 are monitored but not discouraged, as social enrichment has contributed positively to the animal's responsiveness in testing and overall wellbeing.

Description:
SCP-7323 has the appearance of an adult male budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) with the sky blue recessive pied morphology.

As of 07/03/2023, SCP-7323 is known to have died on three occasions. Three of these deaths have been observed and recorded in a controlled setting. In each case, SCP-7323 returned to a living and active state before the onset of livor mortis.

Whether this transformation results from a localized temporal reversal or an unrelated phenomenon is unknown at this time.

CLARF’s available technologies have not been able to capture the moment of revivification. Even in high-speed recordings, the prone corpse never moves, but appears to be instantaneously replaced with an identical, living bird.

While physically identical, there are significant differences in the behavior of each iteration of SCP-7323.⁵

Footnotes

1. Cage size should be a minimum of 32x18x24 in or comparable dimensions.

2. Avoid smooth dowels, which can cause bumblefoot, and cotton fibers, which (if swallowed) can cause impaction. See attached list of parrot-safe materials.

3. See attached list of parrot-safe toys.

4. F10 veterinary disinfectant, dishsoap, and white vinegar diluted with water are the only cleaners permitted in the enclosure. Exposure to even small amounts of bleach can be fatal to birds. See attached list of harmful substances.

5. See Retrieval and Research Logs.

Retrieval and Research Logs

SCP-7323-1 Retrieval Log

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Note: Descriptions of this iteration prior to containment were not directly observed but obtained from interviews with MaryAnn █████.

Lifespan: Unknown. Reportedly lived in the civilian’s home for 6 years after being found on her porch.

Behavior: Friendly and highly interactive. MaryAnn described the bird accompanying her everywhere. She never purchased a bird cage, and the bird slept on top of her kitchen cupboards at night. Its diet was a mixture of seed, vegetables, and some human food (in MaryAnn’s words, “You could not eat spaghetti in peace without Mr. Pasta Police getting his share”).

Vocalizations: According to MaryAnn, after living in her home for three months, the bird began to imitate a masculine voice saying, “C’mere bud” and “Where’s MY beer?”. As is typical of psittacines with imitative abilities, these phrases would be variously reconfigured as, “C’mere beer”, “Where’s my bud?”, etc.

After about a year, she described the animal vocalizing, “Who’s a good bird?” and “Iiiiiit’s pasta time” in an imitation of her voice. This was variously reconfigured as, “Who’s a good pasta?”, “C’mere good bird”, “C’mere pasta”, and “Where’s MY pasta?”.

Death: Sudden, causes unknown. MaryAnn described finding the bird on top of its cupboard one morning, “already stiff”. She placed the body in the refrigerator inside a paper bag. When asked why, she explained, “I was very upset—it was so sudden, and I didn’t know what to do. I know vets can—you know—look into a pet that died and tell you what happened. Truthfully, though, I just couldn’t bear the thought of putting him in the ground.”

Revivification: MaryAnn was alerted to the bird’s state by the sound of wingbeats and vocalizations inside her closed refrigerator. She opened it, and the bird flew out and perched on her shoulder. This incident came to the Foundation’s attention when MaryAnn related the story to a friend who happened to be Foundation personnel. She expressed, "I'm just so grateful to have him back with me."

Notice of Disciplinary Action

It has come to light, thanks to a complaint registered by Agent C███, that protocols were not properly observed by Agent F█████ during the retrieval of the anomaly now designated SCP-7323.

When the civilian exhibited suspicion of the cover story and unwillingness to surrender the anomaly, amnesticization procedures should have been immediately initiated.

Instead, Agent F█████, out loud and in front of the civilian, questioned the urgency of retrieving the anomaly. The agent later privately questioned Agent C███ about the necessity of following amnesticization protocols.

Agent F█████ has been suspended from active duty, effective immediately. Further disciplinary action may be taken pending an official inquiry.

Emergency amnesticization measures were successfully completed.

- Director Able Jacobs

Notes on SCP-7323-2

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Lifespan: Two years and 12 days

Behavior: Initially fearful of humans, especially hands. Wariness eased to toleration of human proximity and limited handling. In the last month of its life, SCP-7323-2 would seek out touches to its head and cheeks.

SCP-7323-2 showed consistent, positive engagement in tests when high-value food items (spray millet) were offered. SCP-7323-2 would participate in almost any test if it detected the presence of this food. Its actual performance on intelligence tests was unremarkable, but its enthusiasm was notable.

Vocalizations: Surveillance records zero instances of caretakers or research staff saying, “Love you, miss you” within SCP-7323-2’s hearing, but its first and only imitative vocalization was the quiet repetition of this phrase.

Additional Notes: Human caretakers have routinely been observed replying to this vocalization with, “Love you, too”.

Death: SCP-7323-2 succumbed to renal failure (with severe polyuria, increasing lethargy, and signs of gout), despite routine blood tests never indicating elevated levels of uric acid or other abnormalities. It never exhibited a decrease in appetite and indulged in its favorite food until its last moments.

Revivification: The phenomenon occurred within one minute of SCP-7323-2's death, while it was still being handled by a research assistant. The research assistant stated, “I had a dead budgie in my hands. I had a living budgie in my hands. I don’t remember a twitch or anything. I didn’t think, “Oh, here goes, it’s coming back to life”. They later added, “Then it bit me.”

Notes on SCP-7323-3 (Current):

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Lifespan: Ongoing. Exactly 1 year at time of recording.

Characteristics: Highly active and curious with some tendency toward aggression. SCP-7323-3 expresses a strong dislike of deep-voiced individuals with facial hair.

SCP-7323-3 devotes considerable amorous attention to shiny objects of all kinds. Food and water bowls have been mattified with sandpaper to avoid stimulating excessive regurgitation. SCP-7323-3 shows limited interest in performing problem-solving tests, focusing instead on wooing the test objects and human participants.

Vocalizations: SCP-7323-3 can imitate a slightly garbled version of the lyrics to the song, “Bacon Pancakes”, composed by Rebecca Sugar for the series Adventure Time. When excited, it produces a loud and rapid string of sounds resembling, “bakin pankik bakin bakin pankik”.

Update 07/01/2023: A caretaker has inadvertently taught SCP-7323-3 to vocalize, “C’mere cutie!” This is the first instance of the anomaly imitating human vocalizations learned in containment. SCP-7323-3 employs this vocalization very frequently, especially in the presence of shiny objects or manicured nails.

Additional Notes: The research team is considering allowing a non-anomalous budgerigar to share SCP-7323-3's enclosure.

Social enrichment is an essential part of a budgerigar’s well-being. Complications include the unpredictability of budgerigar compatibility and the possibility of provoking additional, unpredictable anomalous phenomena.

- Head Researcher Joanne Greenwood

Containment Breach

From: Director Able Jacobs <ajacobs@██████.███>
Date: Friday, August 4, 2023 11:07 AM
To: CLARF Research Staff - Distribution List <research@██████.███>
Subject: Reminder

Greetings,

I am writing to confirm that, after 24 years of exemplary service at CLARF, Dr. Greenwood has elected to retire. Dr. Clark has been promoted to Head Researcher on her outstanding cases.

I would like to reiterate that CLARF places primacy on empathy-centered practices. We have successfully built a culture of humane and ethical treatment of both our employees and research subjects.

I would also like to remind staff that concerns about containment procedures should be directed to the Head Researcher and not informally discussed amongst members of any research team.

⚠CONTAINMENT BREACH⚠

At 9:35 AM EST on 09/27/23, it was observed that the automated seed dispenser in SCP-7323's cage had jammed and was no longer dispensing food. A maintenance worker was dispatched to resolve the issue.

The worker entered the enclosure at 10:44 AM EST. As they approached the cage, they appeared to stumble and fall, catching themselves by placing a hand on the dispenser. The dispenser was wrenched by this sudden motion, creating a gap.

SCP-7323-3 climbed through the gap and flew upwards and out of view of the security cameras. The enclosure was fully sealed at the time of the breach, but the anomaly has not been located. No staff reported sighting SCP-7323-3 in the small animal wing.

SCP-7323-1 had been equipped with a subcutaneous tracking device which, for unknown reasons, did not immediately register the anomaly’s location. Three hours after the breach, the tracking device located SCP-7323-3 near CLARF’s outermost security gates. Within minutes, the signal was lost.

RECOVERY ATTEMPT 09/29/2023

At 5:04 AM EST on 09/29/2023 the signal indicating SCP-7323’s location was regained. There was no indication of movement.

The location was identified as a mobile home park outside L██████████ Wildlife Refuge. Agents pinpointed the signal to the front yard of a specific residence. The tracking device was retrieved from under less than six inches of soil, inside a pink shoe box, wrapped in a birthday napkin. No trace of SCP-7323 was recovered.

NOTE: Concerning Dr. Joanne Greenwood

As of 07/03/2024, Dr. Greenwood's Class E status has been declared resolved by Director Jacobs. She is currently under Level 3 surveillance.

She accepted a position as an archivist at a nearby community college and has adopted four budgerigars from a local parrot rescue.

‡ Licensing / Citation

Cite this page as:

"SCP-7323" by floridapologia, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scpwiki.com/scp-7323. Licensed under CC BY-SA.

For information on how to use this component, see the License Box component. To read about licensing policy, see the Licensing Guide.

Filename: Percy1
Author: floridapologia
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Source Link: [http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/local--files/scp-7323/Percy1]

Filename: Percy2
Author: floridapologia
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Source Link: [http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/local--files/scp-7323/Percy2]