X-241 - "Pop-Up Tent"

Category: X

Current Attitude: Expectant

Containment Procedure:

• Store in folded position according to instruction manual, away from water or strong odours.
• Do not assemble without the supervision of at least two other Cross Foundation employees trained in the handling and containment of X-category Anomalies. All employees who interact with X-241 must be familiar with the history of both X-241 (see below) and Y-879 - "Dr Sullivan". The instruction manual must be present and open to the assembly instructions throughout the interaction.
• In the event that X-241 collapses while a Cross Foundation employee is inside, supervising staff must immediately reassemble X-241. Experiments have suggested that the maximum duration of time that a human may spend inside the collapsed state of X-241 without incurring [CONSEQUENCES] is 48 seconds. This duration is commonly referred to in experimental reports as the 'Sullivan Point'.

Description:

• X-241 is a pop-up play tent which may be assembled from a canvas and structural poles. An instruction manual detailing storage information, assembly instructions and user warranty is also considered part of X-241 and should be stored alongside the tent body itself.
• When assembled, X-241 measures 125 x 120 x 70cm.
• Upon entering the interior of the assembled X-241, [NON-HUMAN ENTITIES] become visible to the person inside the tent. These entities are described as being [COLOUR][SHAPE][SIZE] and sharing a common temperament of [TEMPERAMENT]. The entities associated with X-241 do not vocalise, instead communicating in a glyph-based script also used exclusively by Y-879 - "Dr Sullivan". These entities are not visible to any persons or instruments outside X-241.
• No time dilation has been reported by persons inside X-241 when it is in its assembled state.

X-241 was purchased second-hand by a Cross Foundation employee in 1988, in response to a personal advertisement placed in The Southampton Sentinel (the original seller's personal phone number has been redacted):

PLAY TENT, FREE. For babies and children. Used but in good condition. Need gone urgently, will deliver with no charge. Contact Hythe XXXXXX.

While inspecting the interior of X-241 for damage and stains, the employee in question observed several [NON-HUMAN ENTITIES] approaching the tent. Recognising this as a likely Anomaly, the employee swiftly reported the incident and X-241 was sent to the Foundation for immediate investigation. While attempts to contact the original seller were made on a monthly basis from 1988-1989 (and since April 1989, on an annual basis), none of these attempts have so far been successful.

During early investigations into X-241 and the [NON-HUMAN ENTITIES] associated with it, Experimental Analysis Analyst Dr D. Sullivan entered X-241 as part of routine experimental procedure. Four minutes into the experiment, X-241's structural poles collapsed and Dr Sullivan became entirely concealed within the canvas. The sole supervising researcher initially believed that Dr Sullivan would be capable of leaving the lightweight canvas without assistance; when this did not occur, the researcher lifted the canvas and discovered that Dr Sullivan had vanished.

At this point, the researcher began searching for the instruction manual, which had been left inside the storage box during the experiment. In total, over two minutes elapsed between X-241's collapse and reassembly – after which, Dr Sullivan became visible inside the tent once more and was sent to an urgent physical and psychological evaluation.

The extensive research that followed this incident suggest that during the collapse of X-241, Dr Sullivan (henceforth referred to as Y-879 - "Dr Sullivan") was transported to a location where time passed at a significantly advanced rate compared to that of Earth in 1988. It is understood that Y-879 experienced sufficient time passing that all knowledge of human communication was forgotten, though Y-879's passion for research appears to have been retained. X-241 may therefore be considered a 'bridge' between locations when in its assembled state, with the [NON-HUMAN ENTITIES] believed to be the inhabitants of this other time, place or dimension.