Figure in hallway and crying girl in 1800s dress
A letter attributed to [name withheld] in Scottsdale, Arizona, and read on air by Art Bell describes two days in an apartment. The letter writer reports feeling watched and seeing someone run down the hall on Sunday night. The next day, the writer says, they woke to a crying girl in a late-1800s blue dress sitting in the bedroom, who then disappeared into the wall. The story ends with no explanation and no further sightings.
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The story as told
According to a letter read on air by Art Bell, [name withheld] in Scottsdale, Arizona, reports that on a Sunday night they worked the graveyard shift and had about half an hour to spare before getting ready. The writer sat down with headphones to listen to the stereo and got an eerie feeling that someone was watching them. The writer turned around and saw someone run down the hall. The writer knew their roommate was out for the night, but thought the roommate might have come home and been playing a trick. The writer went down the hall, turned on all the lights, called out, and got no response. The writer dismissed it as their mind playing tricks, sat back down, and then got the strange feeling again. The writer turned quickly and again saw someone run back down the hall. Scared, the writer ran out of the apartment and went to work. Later the writer called the roommate and told the roommate what happened. The roommate said the writer was cracked. The next day seemed fairly normal. The writer went to bed around noon, and about seven that night was awakened by the sound of a girl crying. The room was dark, but the writer could see living-room lights under the door. The writer first thought the roommate and the roommate's girlfriend had fought. As the crying went on, the writer realized it was not coming from the living room. The writer sat up in bed and saw a girl sitting on the chair in the bedroom. The writer describes her as about 16 years old, wearing a blue dress from the late 1800s, with long blonde hair, and crying. When the writer asked who she was and what was wrong, she looked frightened, stood up, and disappeared into the wall. The writer ran out of the bedroom. The roommate was sitting quietly watching TV, did not see or hear any of it, and did not believe the writer. The letter writer says they never saw the girl again and still have no explanation. The host identifies the letter as from [name withheld] in Scottsdale, Arizona, listening to KFYI.
Reported events, in order
- 0:00
The letter writer says it was a Sunday night and they worked the graveyard shift.
- 0:06
The writer sat down with headphones to listen to the stereo because they had about a half hour to spare.
- 0:12
The writer got an eerie feeling that someone was watching them.
- 0:16
The writer turned around and saw someone run down the hall.
- 0:20
The writer knew their roommate was out for the night but thought the roommate might have come home and been playing a trick.
- 0:25
The writer went down the hall, turned on all the lights, called out, and got no response.
- 0:29
The writer thought their mind was playing tricks on them and sat back down with the headphones.
- 0:36
The writer began getting the strange feeling again that someone was watching them.
- 0:41
The writer turned quickly and again saw someone run back down the hall.
- 0:45
The writer became scared, ran out of the apartment, and went to work.
- 0:49
The writer later called the roommate and told the roommate what happened. The roommate said the writer was cracked.
- 0:54
The next day seemed fairly normal.
- 0:57
The writer went to bed around noon.
- 1:00
About seven that night, the writer was awakened by the sound of a girl crying.
- 1:05
The room was dark, but the writer could see living-room lights from under the door.
- 1:10
The writer thought the roommate and the roommate's girlfriend had gotten into a fight.
- 1:15
The writer lay there for a while, and the crying continued.
- 1:18
As the writer listened, they realized the crying was not coming from the living room.
- 1:25
The writer sat up in bed and saw a girl sitting on the chair in the bedroom.
- 1:31
The writer describes her as about 16 years old, wearing a blue dress from the late 1800s.
- 1:38
The writer also describes her as having long blonde hair and crying.
- 1:41
When the writer asked who she was and what was wrong, she looked frightened, stood up, and disappeared into the wall.
- 1:50
The writer ran out of the bedroom and found the roommate sitting quietly watching TV. The writer told the roommate what had just happened.
- 1:55
The roommate did not see or hear any of it and did not believe the writer.
- 1:58
The writer never saw the girl again.
- 2:00
The writer says they still have no explanation for what happened.
- 2:05
The host identifies the letter as from [name withheld] in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- 2:09
The host notes the letter writer was listening to KFYI.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:12
The letter writer reports a feeling of being watched.
- observation· 0:16
The letter writer reports turning and seeing someone run down the hall.
- observation· 0:36
The letter writer reports that the strange feeling of being watched returned.
- observation· 0:41
The letter writer reports seeing someone run back down the hall a second time.
- observation· 1:00
The letter writer reports being awakened by a girl crying.
- observation· 1:25
The letter writer reports seeing a girl sitting on a chair in the bedroom.
- observation· 1:31
The letter writer describes the girl as about sixteen, in a blue dress from the late 1800s.
- observation· 1:41
The letter writer reports that the girl stood up and disappeared into the wall.
- interpretation· 2:00
The letter writer says they have no explanation for what happened.
- host statement· 2:05
The host attributes the letter to [name withheld] in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
A firsthand story in a letter, with a concrete sequence and some self-checking. But no one else backs it up, and plausible ordinary explanations are not fully ruled out. The roommate denies seeing or hearing anything, and the host only reads the letter.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand experience is described in the first person: [quote withheld]
- Concrete details are given: Sunday night, graveyard shift, headphones, apartment, noon the next day, seven that night, a girl about sixteen, a blue dress from the late 1800s, and long blonde hair.
- The sequence is consistent, and the letter writer tests the roommate theory by calling out, with no response.
- No one backs up the story. The roommate [quote withheld]
- The bedroom event follows waking in a dark room, so a dream while waking up remains a possible explanation.
- The story comes as a letter read by the host, with no live questions or added detail.
- Whether the first hallway figure was a person, a misperception, or something else is not established.
- No dates, address, or verifiable records are given.
- Every line of the story is labeled as the host in the transcript, so the first-person voice is assumed to be the letter writer's.
- 0:16
- 1:55
- 2:00
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects my judgment of how consistent and specific the content is, not the truth of the events. No outside check was made.
Only the letter writer's word is present. There are identifying details such as [name withheld], Scottsdale, Arizona, and KFYI. A roommate is mentioned, but the roommate does not back up the story. There is no physical evidence or on-air witness.
Evidence for and against
- Named source and location: [quote withheld]
- Radio station mentioned: “Listening to KFYI.”
- A second person is mentioned but clearly does not back up the story: [quote withheld]
- No photograph, recording, document, marks, or other physical evidence is claimed.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- The only witness story is a letter read by the host.
- The letter itself is not examined on air. Only its contents are read.
- The roommate's denial leaves the story with, in effect, a single witness.
- 2:05
- 1:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): This falls in the scoring-guide range for a story that rests only on the writer's word, with checkable identifiers that were not checked.
The story includes a feeling of being watched, a figure running in the home, and a crying girl who appears in the bedroom and vanishes into a wall. The bedroom intrusion and the unresolved ending are unsettling, but there is no threat or physical harm.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- No ill will, attack, or physical contact is reported.
- The events are limited to two days and end with [quote withheld]
- Emotional impact depends on delivery, which is not assessed here.
- 1:00
- 1:41
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is a judgment about how unsettling the story is, not about its truth.
Familiar ghost-story elements are present: feeling watched, a figure in a hallway, a crying girl in period dress, and a disappearance into a wall. The combination of a running figure in the hallway and, later, a crying girl in late-1800s dress in the bedroom adds some distinctiveness.
Evidence for and against
- A ghost in period dress: [quote withheld]
- Disappearance into a wall: [quote withheld]
- Core elements such as a watching presence, a hallway figure, a crying ghost, and a bedroom visit are common in this kind of story.
- No highly unusual event or rare combination is reported.
- Originality compared with the rest of the archive is provisional here.
- 1:31
- 1:25
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score is a model judgment based on stock story elements with one distinctive detail. It is provisional because the published comparison with the rest of the archive is not available here.
Scoring confidence 0.78 · analysis confidence 0.84 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The letter writer's firsthand written story, read on air by the host; Host identifies the letter's source as [name withheld] in Scottsdale, Arizona; No physical evidence described or examined; No on-air second witness. The roommate is said not to have seen or heard the event.. The originality score blends the model's score (45) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A dreamlike experience while waking up could explain the girl in the bedroom, though it would not explain the earlier hallway figure. · The bedroom event follows waking from sleep in a dark room. The letter says, [quote withheld] It also says, [quote withheld]
- A living person or a prank by the roommate could explain the first hallway sighting. But the lack of response and the later figure in the bedroom make that an incomplete fit. · The letter writer first considers the roommate ([quote withheld]), then calls out and gets no response.
- Misperception or suggestion could play a part in the hallway figure and in the writer's first belief that the crying came from the living room. It fits less easily with the detailed description of the girl. · The story includes expectation and unclear lighting: an [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
What stands out
What seems to be the same presence is first glimpsed as a running figure in a hallway. Later it is seen as a crying girl in late-1800s dress sitting in the bedroom. At first, the writer thinks the crying is coming from the living room. The story also comes from a letter read on air rather than from a live caller.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.