Invisible rocking chair heard by a blind woman at a YWCA
[name withheld], a caller from Sacramento, tells a brief secondhand story about their wife before they were married. While she was living at a YWCA in Massachusetts, she reportedly heard what sounded like a rocking chair creaking in a library or sitting room. When she reached out to touch it, the sound stopped and the chair was gone. [name withheld] offers no cause, and the host says the story suggests an afterlife.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1994.mp3”, starting at 2:13:06). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], a caller from Sacramento, says the following happened to their wife before they were married. At the time, [name withheld] says, she was living in Massachusetts and [name withheld] was in Florida. She was living at the YWCA. According to [name withheld], she walked into what [name withheld] believed was either the library or a quiet sitting room there. She heard what sounded like a rocking chair going back and forth, a creaking rocking chair. [name withheld] adds that their wife is blind and had her guide dog with her. She listened to the sound for quite a little while and finally got up enough nerve to reach out to touch it, to see if the chair was really there. The minute she reached out, [name withheld] says, it stopped and it was gone. [name withheld] describes the incident as extremely weird. [name withheld] says their wife told [name withheld] about it six years before the broadcast and [name withheld] still remembers it. [name withheld] does not state what they think caused it. Host Art Bell responds that such things stick with people and says they suggest the possibility or even probability collectively of an afterlife. The call ends with [name withheld] agreeing and the host thanking [name withheld].
Reported events, in order
- 0:06
[name withheld] says the experience happened to their wife before they were married.
- 0:11
[name withheld] says their wife was living in Massachusetts while [name withheld] was in Florida.
- 0:15
[name withheld] says their wife was living at the YWCA.
- 0:20
[name withheld] says she walked into what [name withheld] believed was the library or a quiet sitting room.
- 0:30
[name withheld] says she heard what sounded like a rocking chair creaking back and forth.
- 0:40
[name withheld] says their wife is blind and had her guide dog with her.
- 0:44
[name withheld] says she reached out.
- 0:46
[name withheld] says she finally got up enough nerve.
- 0:48
[name withheld] says she had listened for quite a little while and reached out to touch it to see if the chair was really there.
- 0:55
[name withheld] says that the minute she reached out, it stopped and it was gone.
- 1:02
[name withheld] says the incident was extremely weird and that she told [name withheld] about it six years earlier, but [name withheld] still remembers it.
- 1:23
Host Art Bell says such things stick with people and suggest the possibility or probability of an afterlife.
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).
- hearsay· 0:30
The caller's wife heard what sounded like a rocking chair creaking in a quiet room at the YWCA.
- hearsay· 0:55
When the caller's wife reached out to touch the chair, the sound stopped and the chair was gone.
- host statement· 1:23
The host says such stories suggest the possibility or probability of an afterlife.
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.
Secondhand but from a close, named source, with a consistent sequence and some concrete details of the setting. It lacks dates, direct observation, and any check on ordinary explanations. So it is capped as a secondhand story and scored toward the middle.
Evidence for and against
- The source is a close, named relationship: the caller says it happened to their wife.
- The story includes specific details of the setting: Massachusetts, YWCA, library or sitting room.
- It gives a clear detail of sound and a clear sequence: a creaking rocking chair, listening for a while, reaching out, the sound stopping.
- The caller says [name withheld] still remembers the story six years later.
- The story is secondhand. The caller did not experience it themselves.
- No calendar date, no name for the wife, and no exact YWCA location are given.
- The story does not say whether the room was searched or whether anyone else was present.
- A real chair, another person, or building noise could fit the reported sound.
- The exact YWCA and room are not identified.
- The wife does not speak on air.
- The label showing who is speaking appears to mix the host's reply with the caller's line.
- 0:11
- 0:30
- 0:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): The cap for secondhand stories is applied. The score reflects how well the story hangs together and how close the source is, not any judgment of the caller's sincerity.
The only support is the caller's secondhand word. It contains some details that could be checked in principle, but no record, document, physical evidence, or backing from another witness on air is present.
Evidence for and against
- The caller provides broad details that could be checked: Massachusetts, YWCA, a guide dog, and a blind witness.
- A second witness is claimed in the sense that the wife is the one who had the experience, but she is not independently confirmed on air.
- No second witness on air. The wife does not speak.
- No physical evidence, document, recording, or photograph is described.
- No exact names, dates, or details of the institution are given.
- No outside check was done.
- No exact YWCA location is given.
- The wife is unnamed and not present.
- The caller was not there themselves. They were in Florida at the time.
- 0:06
- 0:15
- 1:02
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score is in the low part of the scoring guide for claimed secondhand testimony with unverified details of place.
The story is mildly to moderately unsettling because of the invisible chair and the blind woman reaching toward it. But it is short, not threatening, and unresolved rather than frightening.
Evidence for and against
- An invisible rocking chair is heard in a quiet room.
- The woman is blind and reaches out to touch the unseen source.
- The sound stops the moment she reaches out, and the chair is gone.
- The event is brief and isolated.
- No threat, injury, physical contact, or malevolence is reported.
- The story ends without escalation and with the host's thoughtful comment.
- The room and time of day are not described.
- The story is very short, which limits any build-up of mood.
- 0:30
- 0:48
- 0:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a judgment about the story's mood as entertainment, not a claim about what happened.
The story uses a familiar haunted-building sound but adds unusual details: the woman is blind, a guide dog is present, and the chair is gone when she touches for it. This gives it moderate rather than high originality.
Evidence for and against
- The specific image is an invisible rocking chair heard by a blind woman.
- The guide dog is mentioned but does not react.
- The sound reportedly stops the moment she reaches out to touch it.
- Unexplained sounds in old or institutional buildings are a familiar ghost-story element.
- No visible figure, physical trace, or other strange event comes with the sound.
- The story is very short, which limits any judgment of originality.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional.
- 0:30
- 0:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): The originality score is provisional. The comparison with the rest of the archive is not meaningfully available here.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: Secondhand story from caller [name withheld] about their wife's report; No firsthand observation by [name withheld]; No confirmation on air from the wife; No photograph, recording, document, or physical trace described or examined. The originality score blends the model's score (55) 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 real rocking chair, or another person rocking in the room or a nearby space, with the sound stopping or being out of reach when she moved. · The caller says she heard what “sounded like” a rocking chair and reached out [quote withheld] The caller does not say she searched the room.
- Building noise, a loose fixture, or an object creaking, taken for a rocking chair because of its rhythm. · The sound is identified by comparison to a rocking chair, and the story gives no description of the room, other people there, or other noise.
What stands out
The woman who heard it is blind and had a guide dog with her, so the story is mostly about sound. The sound is said to stop the instant she reaches out to touch the unseen chair.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.