Recurring sweet pea scent after mother's death
An unidentified caller tells Art Bell that since their mother died, they have repeatedly smelled sweet peas, their mother's flower. They describe it as a scent confined to one spot, which they call a “bubble” around their head. It usually happens in doorways and lasts about five minutes. They say two of their sons have also smelled it, and they see it as their mother's “little visitation.” The host says he believes the caller and comments that he has heard similar stories about spirits and flowers.
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 1995.mp3”, starting at 2:03:21). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who is not identified, tells Art Bell that when their mother died, they began to smell flowers. They say they have been getting them [quote withheld] The caller describes the scent as [quote withheld]: if they walk away from it, they do not smell it, and if they walk back to where they were, they do. They also say it sometimes comes around their head while they are sitting on the couch reading. They identify the scent as sweet peas, [quote withheld] The caller says the smell lasts about five minutes. They say the same thing has happened to two of their sons, usually in doorways. They note there are no flowers in the house and no perfume. One son asked, “what's that smell?” and they told him to walk back into the doorway to find it again. They call it “her little visitation.” The host says he believes the caller and thanks the caller for the call. He adds that he has heard many stories involving spirits of people and flowers. He mentions flowers or trees dying when someone dies and asks whether there is [quote withheld]
Reported events, in order
- 0:00
The caller says that when their mother died, they began to smell flowers.
- 0:05
They say they have been getting the scent every year or so.
- 0:11
They describe the scent as a bubble around their head. Walking away makes it disappear, and walking back brings it back.
- 0:20
They say the scent sometimes comes around their head while they are sitting on the couch reading.
- 0:28
They identify the scent as sweet peas, their mother's flower.
- 0:34
They say the scent lasts about five minutes.
- 0:37
They say two of their sons have also smelled the scent.
- 0:41
They say it usually happens in doorways.
- 0:44
They note there are no flowers or perfume in the house. A son asked what the smell was.
- 0:52
They told their son to walk back into the doorway to find it again. They call it their little visitation.
- 0:58
The host says he believes the caller and thanks the caller for the call.
- 1:04
The host says he has heard many stories involving spirits and flowers.
- 1:28
The host asks whether there is some kind of sympathetic reaction between flowers and a person's death.
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· 0:05
The caller has smelled sweet peas every year or so since their mother died.
- observation· 0:11
The scent acts like a bubble confined to one spot: walking away makes it disappear, and walking back brings it back.
- observation· 0:20
The scent sometimes comes around the caller's head while they are sitting on the couch reading.
- interpretation· 0:28
The scent is sweet peas, which was the caller's mother's flower.
- observation· 0:34
The scent lasts about five minutes.
- hearsay· 0:37
Two of the caller's sons have also smelled the scent, usually in doorways.
- observation· 0:44
There are no flowers or perfume in the house when the scent occurs.
- interpretation· 0:52
The caller calls the scent their mother's “little visitation.”
- host statement· 1:04
The host says he believes the caller and has heard many stories involving spirits and flowers.
- host statement· 1:28
The host wonders aloud about flowers dying when a person dies and asks if there is a sympathetic reaction.
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 of a recurring smell, with some specific detail (sweet peas, a “bubble” in one spot, five minutes long, doorways). No checkable names, dates, or places are given in the story, and ordinary explanations for the smell are not explored. The story hangs together, and the caller keeps the smell separate from their interpretation of it.
Evidence for and against
- The caller reports their own repeated experiences.
- The caller consistently describes the scent as confined to one spot and short-lived.
- The caller separates the smell from possible sources by noting that no flowers or perfume are present.
- No names, dates, or places are given in the story.
- The claim that two sons also smelled it is not backed up by anyone on air.
- The caller does not consider any ordinary explanations.
- The story begins partway through, and the date of the mother's death appears only in the lines before it.
- The story is short and lacks details that could be checked.
- 0:05
- 0:11
- 0:28
- 0:34
- 0:44
What the model inferred (not said on air): I infer that the lack of checkable details, and the ordinary explanations left unaddressed, lower believability. The consistency of the caller's firsthand story keeps it near the middle.
The caller's own firsthand word, plus the claimed experiences of two sons who do not speak on air. No physical evidence, recordings, documents, or backing from anyone on air.
Evidence for and against
- The caller states the experiences are recurring and describes them in some detail.
- The caller claims two sons have had the same experience.
- No checkable details (names, dates, places, records) are given.
- No physical evidence or second witness on air is present.
- Only the caller reports the sons' experiences.
- 0:37
What the model inferred (not said on air): Claimed witnesses count toward a score of 11 to 25, but without checkable details or confirmation on air, the evidence stays very low.
A gentle, recurring flower scent linked to a dead mother. The caller calls it a “visitation,” which is mildly eerie but not threatening. Nothing disturbs the caller's sleep, and there is no ill will and no physical harm.
Evidence for and against
- The scent is linked to a dead relative.
- The caller calls it “her little visitation.”
- The framing is comforting rather than frightening.
- No fear or threat is described.
- No description of how the experience affected the caller emotionally beyond the story itself.
- 0:52
What the model inferred (not said on air): I judge the tone of the story as more comforting than frightening, so the score is near mildly eerie.
A familiar pattern: a dead loved one announced by a flower scent. But the specific description of the scent as a “bubble” fixed in one spot, which you can walk in and out of, is distinctive.
Evidence for and against
- The scent is described as a [quote withheld]
- The caller says walking away makes it disappear and walking back brings it back.
- Phantom flower smells after death are a common ghost-story element.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive has not been computed in this analysis.
- 0:08
- 0:11
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a familiar setup with one distinctive detail, so I place it in the middle range.
Scoring confidence 0.70 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story; Claimed experiences of two sons, reported by the caller; No physical evidence or backing from anyone on air. The originality score blends the model's score (50) 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.
- Smelling something that isn't there, or a memory tied to grief. The caller links sweet peas with their mother, and the experience happens while the caller is relaxed (reading on the couch). · The caller says it comes around their head while [quote withheld] and identifies the scent as “her flower.”
- An ordinary smell in one spot. A real source of scent, such as an air freshener, cleaning product, plant, or a neighbor's flowers, could be concentrated in a particular place like a doorway. · The caller reports that it happens “Usually in doorways” and says there are [quote withheld] That rules out some sources but not all.
- Shared expectation or suggestion. After the caller's experience, family members may notice the same smell because they are expecting it. · The caller says [quote withheld] and describes a son asking “what's that smell?”
What stands out
The scent is described as confined to one spot, a “bubble” that can be walked into and out of, rather than a smell that spreads. The caller says two of their sons have had the same experience, usually in doorways.
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