SCP-3237

A Man Who is Not Cold

Special Containment Procedures

Due to the intangible nature of SCP-3237, containment is based upon securing the subject's cooperation. Should SCP-3237 become uncooperative the use of a non-lethal auditory cognitohazard has been approved¹.

SCP-3237 is to be contained in a standard humanoid containment cell outfitted with two thermal-imaging cameras. Cameras are to be monitored at all times. Security staff are to be alerted should SCP-3237 attempt to leave its cell unless accompanied by a staff member with a minimum of Level 3 Clearance. Site-31 itself is equipped with thermal-imaging cameras for tracking movements of SCP-3237.

All recovered instances of SCP-3237-A are currently stored in Storage Facility EuF-13.

Description

SCP-3237 is a humanoid entity approximately 188 cm in height, with no observable physical mass. The only indication of SCP-3237's existence is an anomalous temperature reading from the area that SCP-3237 currently occupies.

Two different temperatures have been recorded from SCP-3237: A consistent -34.8°C in the area roughly corresponding to SCP-3237's 'skin', and an inconsistent 400-600°C² throughout the rest of SCP-3237's 'body', including exposed areas such as the eyes or inside of the mouth. The temperature of SCP-3237 itself has been shown to have no effect on the surrounding environment³. However, materials within SCP-3237 will affect the surrounding environment as normal.

Any matter⁴ occupying the same space as SCP-3237 will instantaneously become the same temperature as SCP-3237, and may subsequently sustain damage from thermal strain. Upon removal, material will react normally with surrounding environment. SCP-3237 has expressed no discomfort with passing through solid objects, and has stated that it cannot feel any difference between materials in different states of matter.

SCP-3237 claims to have at one point been human, though is only able to provide limited information about its former identity⁵. Visual examination suggests SCP-3237 is 'physically' a male between the ages 20-40, and linguistic knowledge and patterns suggest a Russian origin.

SCP-3237-A is the designation given to 237 human bodies, each with an internal temperature of exactly 26°C. Instances of SCP-3237-A have shown no signs of decomposition during containment. See Addendum-3237-4 for details.

Addendum-3237-1 - Initial Discovery: SCP-3237 was brought to Foundation attention in December of 2000, when a local news channel in Waverly, Nebraska aired an interview with a Roger Carlson, who claimed to have captured footage of a 'temperature ghost' through a thermal camera. The footage showed SCP-3237 waving, pointing and gesturing at the camera in an apparent attempt to initiate communication with Carlson. Foundation field agents successfully propagated a cover story of it being a hoax created by Carlson and temporary Site 31-27a was established to identify and contain the anomaly.

Contact was made on 12/09/2000, when the words 'Please bring blank paper' were found burned into a copy of a report at Site-31-27a. When several sheets of blank paper were brought into the room, SCP-3237 proceeded to communicate by burning words onto the paper. An impromptu interview was conducted by Dr. Glenshaw, and is transcribed below.

Open Interview Log 3237-1

Close Interview Log 3237-1

Interviewed: SCP-3237

Interviewer: Dr. Glenshaw

Foreward: Initial assumptions were that SCP-3237 was somehow dependent on paper to communicate, thus Dr. Glenshaw was instructed to communicate with SCP-3237 via writing.

<Begin Log, 11:37 am>

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] Hello. I am Doctor Raymond Glenshaw. Can you understand me?

SCP-3237: Yes, though not as well as I would like.

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] Why is that?

SCP-3237: I have been trying to learn English, and I believe I have grasped it, but I am still having some trouble sometimes.

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] Would you prefer another language?

SCP-3237: No, I will use English. The best way to learn is to practice, after all. Besides, I doubt you know Russian.

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] I do not. Can you tell me about yourself? Who are you?

SCP-3237: I can, a little. I am in the room, though I am invisible. Things burn when I touch them, like this paper. Please be careful, I am very hot. I would tell you my name, but I cannot remember it. I do not know much else about my current state. I apologize.

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] That's alright. Can you tell me why you are here?

SCP-3237: You are the SCP Foundation, correct? You contain strange things like me?

Dr. Glenshaw: [pause] [written] That is correct. How are you aware of this?

SCP-3237: This building was empty before, and I wanted to know who was moving in. I read your reports as you wrote them. You are trying to find me, and are not scared by things like me. That is why I wanted to speak with you. I am supposed to be contained.

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] You want to be contained?

SCP-3237: Yes. Like I said, I am very hot. I do not wish to burn things that would hurt other people.

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] We'll see what we can do. Thank you for your cooperation.

SCP-3237: You are welcome. A question, if I may?

Dr. Glenshaw: [written] Go ahead.

SCP-3237: Why do you keep writing everything? It is difficult to read.

Dr. Glenshaw: [pause] Can you hear me?

SCP-3237: Of course. Did you assume I could not?

Dr. Glenshaw: Oh, uh… yes, actually.

SCP-3237: That is quite funny.

<End Log, 11:54 am>

Closing Statement: Subject was designated SCP-3237 and transported to Site-31 for containment. Current containment procedures were established shortly thereafter.

Close Interview Log 3237-1

Addendum-3237-2 - Interview Log 3237-2: Below is the first interview conducted after containment was established.

Open Interview Log 3237-2

Close Interview Log 3237-2

Interviewed: SCP-3237

Interviewer: Dr. Glenshaw

<Begin Log, 3:30 pm>

Dr. Glenshaw: Good afternoon, SCP-3237.

SCP-3237: Hello, Doctor. Is that to be my name?

Dr. Glenshaw: It's your designation, yes.

SCP-3237: I have not had a name in a while. Hello, I am SCP-3237. It is nice to be speaking with you.

Dr. Glenshaw: [pause] Likewise. Now, I wanted to ask more about your current condition.

SCP-3237: I will provide any answer I can, though I do not know much. My memory from before I woke up like this is unclear.

Dr. Glenshaw: From before? You haven't always been in this state?

SCP-3237: Oh no, I have not. Did I not say that before?

Dr. Glenshaw: You haven't, no.

SCP-3237: Sorry about that. Yes, I was human once, I believe. It was a while ago, though I am not sure how long exactly. It might have been late in the year, because I remember it being cold.

Dr. Glenshaw: Do you remember where you were at the time?

SCP-3237: I do not have a word for it, but when I try and remember I find a shape.

[SCP-3237 draws an image onto a blank sheet.]

Dr. Glenshaw: [examining the sheet] Finland⁶?

SCP-3237: Possibly. Wherever it was, it was quite cold there. Somehow I fell asleep while walking outside, or maybe I died, I do not know how to tell the difference. Anyway, it was cold out. Very cold.

[There is a several second pause in SCP-3237's writing.]

Dr. Glenshaw: …SCP-3237?

SCP-3237: Sorry, I was thinking. Like I said, it was cold. And again, as I said, I fell asleep, or died, or something. Whatever it was, it was so cold. And then there was something, or someone, it was unclear. I did not know what it was then, except that I knew it was not cold. I could not really see it, or hear it, or even feel it. I was too focused on the cold.

Dr. Glenshaw: Can you remember anything about it at all?

SCP-3237: When it appeared, I think it tried to say something. I could not hear it, as I was too busy being cold. I had been cold a while, you see. How long was I cold? I think I was cold for about as long as it was cold. How cold was it? It was very, very cold. Too cold.

Dr. Glenshaw: SCP-3237, are you alright?

SCP-3237: Am I alright? That depends. Am I cold?

Dr. Glenshaw: I don't know. Why, do you feel cold?

SCP-3237: I feel somewhat cold, yes.

[At this point, the temperature reading within SCP-3237 spikes to 840°C. As there is no visual indicator of this temperature spike, Dr. Glenshaw proceeds without acknowledging it.]

SCP-3237: Now I am alright. Where was I?

Dr. Glenshaw: That's good. You were talking about what you saw when you fell asleep. Something, or someone, was there with you?

SCP-3237: I remember. It asked if I was cold, and I was too cold to say yes. It asked if I wanted to be warm, and I said no. No, I did not want to be warm. I wanted to be not cold.

Dr. Glenshaw: And then you woke up?

SCP-3237: I believe so. I know I was not cold. Can we please stop now? Remembering this is tiring.

Dr. Glenshaw: That should be enough for now. Thank you for your time.

<End Log, 3:52 pm>

Closing Statement: SCP-3237 returned to normal temperature approximately one hour after interview concluded. When questioned, SCP-3237 expressed no knowledge of change occurring.

Close Interview Log 3237-2

Addendum-3237-3 - SCP-3237's Origins: On 4/15/2001 SCP-3237 requested it be interviewed, claiming it had remembered something about its origins.

Open Interview Log 3237-3

Close Interview Log 3237-3

Interviewed: SCP-3237

Interviewer: Dr. Glenshaw

<Begin Log, 12:20 pm>

Dr. Glenshaw: Hello SCP-3237. I was told you had remembered something important?

SCP-3237: Yes. I believe I remember how I died.

Dr. Glenshaw: Interesting. What is it you remember, specifically?

SCP-3237: Alright. Let me think. I said it was cold, right?

Dr. Glenshaw: Quite a few times, yes.

SCP-3237: Well, it was quite cold. There was snow everywhere, so everything was white. I could not see a thing. I remember complaining how difficult it was to find the thing we were looking for.

Dr. Glenshaw: You were looking for something in the snow?

SCP-3237: Yes. I cannot quite remember what, but I recall it being important. It was white too you see, so it was hard to find in all the snow. Anyway, we were looking for this thing when I heard something, a gunshot.

Dr. Glenshaw: You were shot?

SCP-3237: Yes, but also no. I was not the one who that shot hit. Someone near me was hit, he fell over. I fell myself, on purpose, so the shooter might think I had been shot as well. The ground was cold, but I knew that if I stood I would die.

Dr. Glenshaw: You died, though, so the shooter found you?

SCP-3237: I think so, but he did not find me then. I lifted my head from the ground for an instant, to get a look at the area. That is when I saw it, the thing we had been searching for. It had been simply sitting in the snow, right where we could see it if we had only looked. We might have made it out if we had.

Dr. Glenshaw: What do you mean by 'we'?

SCP-3237: I was with a group of people, to help search. Anyway, I saw what we had come for, so I tried to make my way toward it. It was a poor decision on my part, heading toward the sugar.

Dr. Glenshaw: Wait, you were looking for sugar?

SCP-3237: Sugar? No, I was not looking for sugar. Why do you ask?

Dr. Glenshaw: Because that's what you wrote. Look, right here: 'heading toward the sugar.'

SCP-3237: That is strange. There was no sugar there, and I was certainly not looking for it. Why did I write that? [There is a several second pause in communication from SCP-3237.] May I have a moment to write out my thoughts?

Dr. Glenshaw: Certainly.

SCP-3237: Thank you.

[SCP-3237 proceeds to write for several minutes. Contents of the pages consist of the word 'sugar' written in both English and Russian, with several lines leading to terms describing sugar (ex. sweet, white, unhealthy, etc.). A circle is burned around the word 'white' and another around the word 'death'.]

SCP-3237: The White Death. That is what we were searching for.

Dr. Glenshaw: The White Death? What's that?

SCP-3237: A man. He was a single man. Four-hundred men entered that forest, and he killed every last one of them. He hid in the snow, covered in white, and killed entire squads without ever being seen. My squad was sent to kill him, but we ended up just like the rest. All of us, dead and cold in the snow.

Dr. Glenshaw: A squad? You were a soldier, then?

SCP-3237: Was I? I wrote that without thinking. In my mind I feel we were hunters. [SCP-3237 pauses for several seconds, cameras show it smiling and shaking its head.] Foolish ones. We only had a goal, and no plan for what to do when we found him, just a gun.

Dr. Glenshaw: And you found him, in the end.

SCP-3237: We hunted Death, met him in his own element, in the cold. So we died, and the White Death escaped, into the cold.

<End Log, 12:57 pm>

Closing Statement: SCP-3237 requested that the interview be concluded, as it had no more information to provide.

Close Interview Log 3237-3

Addendum-3237-4 - Conclusions: Following the interview, it was concluded that the 'White Death' referred to by SCP-3237 was Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper who was given the nickname for his high number of confirmed kills⁷ during the Winter War⁸.

The investigation into SCP-3237 itself provided no evidence to a specific identity. However, the investigation led to the discovery of the existence of SCP-3237-A. The bodies of several Russian soldiers killed during the Winter War were exhumed and it was discovered that a portion of them showed no obvious signs of decay despite having been buried for 60 years. Further tests showed that each instance had an internal temperature of exactly 26°C. All SCP-3237-A instances were confirmed to have been killed by Simo Häyhä. In total, 174 SCP-3237-A instances were exhumed.

Investigation into the Kollaa area⁹ proved similarly inconclusive to SCP-3237's identity. However, 63 more instances of SCP-3237-A were recovered, bringing the total number of SCP-3237-A to 237.

Foundation agents were able to question Simo Häyhä on 07/25/2001. Häyhä provided the following statement, translated from Finnish.

Open Interview Log 3237-4

Based on Häyhä's testimony a physical examination was performed. It was discovered that Häyhä's internal temperature never fell below 37°C, regardless of current conditions. No other anomalous properties were detected in Häyhä, and it was decided that containment was unnecessary.

Addendum-3237-5 - Incident 3237-A102: On 04/01/2002 Simo Häyhä died by what was deemed to be natural causes. Several hours after his death, his body developed severe frostbite, as well as signs of hypothermia. The event was covered up, and his body recovered for further analysis. After thorough study, his body was released back into family custody and buried in Karelia, Finland.

Shortly after Häyhä's death SCP-3237 made a request to be interviewed.

Open Interview Log 3237-5

Close Interview Log 3237-5

Interviewed: SCP-3237

Interviewer: Dr. Glenshaw

<Begin Log, 7:24 pm>

SCP-3237: [This statement was written before Dr. Glenshaw entered the room.] Simo Häyhä just died. Is this correct?

Dr. Glenshaw: That's… Yes, he died just a few hours ago. I was just told about it, myself. How do you know that? Oh, and, uh, hello, by the way.

SCP-3237: Hello. Sorry, I do not mean to be rude.

Dr. Glenshaw: It's alright. Can you tell me how you know about Häyhä?

SCP-3237: I know because she told me about him.

Dr. Glenshaw: "She" told you? Who would "she" be?

SCP-3237: I do not know her name, or even if she has one. I know she is the reason I am like this, though. She was the one who spoke to me as I died.

Dr. Glenshaw: You mentioned that before. Something asked you if you wanted to be warm, if I recall?

SCP-3237: Yes. And that something was her. She said that Simo Häyhä asked her to "let them know". [SCP-3237 pauses for several seconds.] It is strange to give a name to the White Death. Simo Häyhä. Simo Häyhä. That is not a name one would expect from Death himself.

Dr. Glenshaw: It doesn't sound very Death-like, no. But that's not important. I need you to tell me more about this woman; it's important we find out who she is.

SCP-3237: I cannot say who she is, but I can say who she wants to be.

Dr. Glenshaw: You can tell who she wants to be?

SCP-3237: Yes. She wants to be the Devil.

Dr. Glenshaw: The Devil? She wants to… be the Devil?

SCP-3237: Or God. Maybe both.

Dr. Glenshaw: I- What? How can you tell that?

SCP-3237: She said "my Hell" and "my Heaven". The one who owns Hell would be the Devil, would they not?

Dr. Glenshaw: I can't say I know the answer to that. She specifically worded it like that?

SCP-3237: Yes. She kept saying it was what we deserved, for trying to take what was not ours.

Dr. Glenshaw: 'We'? 'Ours'? Was she speaking to someone else?

SCP-3237: I do not know. I tried to ask, but I am unsure if she heard me. I doubt she would have responded if she had.

Dr. Glenshaw: Why is that?

SCP-3237: She hates us, whoever we are. Hates us enough that she did this solely to deny us death. The last thing she said is burned into my mind.

Dr. Glenshaw: What did she say?

SCP-3237: "You don't deserve oblivion. You deserve less than nothing. You deserve everything."

<End Log, 7:55 pm>

Closing Statement: Investigation into the entity described by SCP-3237 is still ongoing as of 7/13/2008.

Close Interview Log 3237-5

Footnotes