SCP-1288
Timely Encouragement
Special Containment Procedures
When not being tested, SCP-1288 is to be held in Storage Locker ██ at Site-19. Personnel are to observe SCP-1288 at all times while the item is being transported in order to avoid unnecessary collisions. When exploring a new location, population centres in particular, a Geiger counter must be in use.
Description
SCP-1288 is a cylindrical object with density, angular momentum, and refractive index consistent with glass of the same dimensions. The interior of SCP-1288 depicts the equivalent location in what has been determined to be an alternate timeline, believed to have diverged from our own in approximately the late 14th to early 15th Centuries. The world that is depicted is frozen in a single moment which astronomical observations from multiple locations indicate is the Winter Solstice of 2012 at approximately 0600 GMT.
Examination of the few easily accessible historical documents shows that the major point of divergence depended on the choices made by Admiral Zheng He. While claims in our own timeline of such an encounter are dubious, it is clear that, in the alternate world, Zheng He's fleet explored the west coast of the Americas. A strong trade relationship between China and the Mayan Empire resulted from this. While North America saw some limited European colonization, attempts at conquest of Central and South America were unsuccessful due to Chinese technologies and manpower which allowed the ruling parties there to remain in control. As a result, Europe plays a smaller role in the modern world stage which is primarily dominated by the Sino-American alliance.
Recovery Log: SCP-1288 was initially discovered on 12/27/2012 in front of the entrance to Site-19. Initially determined to be an anomalous item that can only be moved in the vertical dimension, it was soon found to have been placed within a tube in the alternate timeline. When SCP-1288 was removed from the tube, a plaque could be seen through it, clearly indicating that the item was intended to be found by Foundation personnel (refer to Document 1288-a for details of plaque).