Smiling face appears in cigarette smoke in a Newport basement
A caller from Spokane, Washington, tells Art Bell that about a year earlier, while smoking in a friend's basement in Newport, they saw a face form in their cigarette smoke. The caller says their friend also saw it, that the face smiled, and that it then faded slowly.
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 46:14). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
A caller reached Art Bell from Spokane, Washington, and said they had “a story” that was “a doozy.” The caller reports that [quote withheld] they were staying at a friend's house in Newport, and the two were sitting in the basement smoking cigarettes and talking. While watching the smoke rise from their cigarette, the caller says, a face “kind of formed” in the smoke. The caller asked their friend whether the friend saw it, and according to the caller the friend said “yeah.” The caller says the face smiled. When the host asked what happened to it, the caller says it [quote withheld] The caller describes it as the strangest thing they have experienced and says they still get shivers. At the end of the call the caller adds that the friend had told them stories about seeing things in the friend's house before. The host remarks that he could understand smoke rings or even a face being blown, but not it smiling. The caller states no cause or explanation. The host thanks the caller and moves on to a separate story about a photograph.
Reported events, in order
- 0:08
The caller says they are in Spokane, Washington.
- 0:21
They say that about a year earlier they were staying at a friend's house in Newport.
- 0:25
They report sitting in the basement with their friend, smoking cigarettes and talking.
- 0:47
While watching cigarette smoke rise, they say a face formed in the smoke.
- 0:55
They ask their friend if the friend sees it, and the friend reportedly says yes.
- 1:01
The caller says the face smiled.
- 1:27
They say the face faded slowly.
- 1:31
They say their friend had told them stories about seeing things in the friend's house before.
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· 1:10
A face reportedly formed in the caller's cigarette smoke.
- hearsay· 0:55
The caller's friend reportedly said the friend saw the face too.
- observation· 1:00
The face in the smoke reportedly smiled.
- observation· 1:27
The face reportedly faded slowly.
- hearsay· 1:31
The friend had reportedly told stories about seeing things in the friend's house before.
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.
The story is brief but coherent and firsthand, with a concrete setting and a rough time frame. Specifics are limited, and seeing a face in a passing smoke shape would fit the reported event easily.
Evidence for and against
- A firsthand story with a clear sequence: smoke, face, question to friend, smile, fading.
- Concrete setting: a friend's basement in Newport.
- Rough time frame: [quote withheld]
- A second witness is claimed.
- No exact date, full names, or checkable details.
- A face-like pattern in smoke has an easy ordinary explanation.
- The second witness is not on air and gives no direct account.
- Line breaks in the automatic transcript make some wording fragmented.
- The labels showing who is speaking are inconsistent in places.
- 0:21
- 0:25
- 1:10
- 1:27
What the model inferred (not said on air): I score this as a typical brief firsthand story with an ordinary explanation readily available, rather than a highly detailed or strongly backed-up case.
There is only the caller's word, plus a claimed second witness who does not speak on air. General locations and a rough time frame are given, but no names, records, or physical evidence are produced.
Evidence for and against
- General locations are stated: Spokane and Newport.
- A rough time frame is given.
- A second witness is claimed.
- No independently checkable specifics such as full names, exact dates, or addresses.
- No photograph, recording, or physical trace is claimed.
- The friend does not speak on air.
- The friend's alleged agreement cannot be independently assessed from the transcript.
- 0:08
- 0:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): This falls in the low range: the caller's word plus general details that could be checked in principle, but nothing actually checked or documented.
A face forming in smoke and smiling is mildly unsettling, but the encounter is brief and not threatening, and it ends with the face fading.
Evidence for and against
- A face reportedly appears in cigarette smoke.
- The face reportedly smiles.
- The caller says they still get shivers.
- No threat, physical contact, or escalation is reported.
- The image fades slowly rather than building dread.
- The host's response is light rather than alarmed.
- The transcript is short and fragmented, so the atmosphere is sparse.
- 1:00
- 1:27
What the model inferred (not said on air): The story has a single eerie image rather than sustained horror, so it sits in the mildly eerie range.
The core idea of a face appearing is familiar, but the cigarette smoke and the smiling detail give the story a distinctive frame.
Evidence for and against
- The face reportedly forms inside cigarette smoke.
- The face reportedly smiles.
- The event is a single encounter that does not recur.
- Strange faces are common in ghost lore.
- There is no broader story or unusual setting beyond a basement.
- Originality is provisional without comparison to the full archive.
- 1:10
- 1:00
What the model inferred (not said on air): I place it above stock haunting elements because of the smoke and the smiling face, but the underlying motif remains familiar.
Scoring confidence 0.70 · analysis confidence 0.78 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story.; Claimed second witness, not on air.; No physical evidence or documentation.. The originality score blends the model's score (58) 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.
- Seeing faces in random shapes: a face-like pattern was perceived in a passing smoke shape. · The caller says they were watching smoke from their cigarette go up and that a face “kind of formed” in it.
- A chance smoke shape produced by airflow or exhaling, which then dispersed. · The caller says the form [quote withheld]
- Shared interpretation or suggestion, given that the caller asked their friend to confirm what the caller saw and the friend had previously reported seeing things in the house. · The caller asks [quote withheld] and later says the friend [quote withheld]
What stands out
Rather than a figure or ghost in the room, the strange thing here is a face forming inside exhaled cigarette smoke and then smiling, with a second person said to have seen it.
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