A self-described witch in Ravenna, Ohio, and bees stinging people
[name withheld], calling from South Pasadena, tells Art Bell that when they were about 18 they moved to Ravenna, Ohio, and lived with some people there. They say the woman in the house told them she had been a witch and that Ravenna was where the real witches of Salem moved. They say she also told them things about their childhood that scared them. The only example of weird events is hives of bees stinging people, before the host takes over. No further incident or outcome is described.
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 1996.mp3”, starting at 15:06). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from South Pasadena, tells Art Bell they have a ghost story. They say that when they were about 18 they moved to Ravenna, Ohio, and moved in with some people. The lady there told them she had been a witch for some time and that Ravenna was where all the real witches from Salem had moved. [name withheld] says she told them a lot of things that scared them, including things about what had happened to them when they were a kid. When Art asks whether she knew about them, [name withheld] answers, “she did.” [name withheld] also says she told them that a lot of weird things happened there. Art asks why Ravenna, Ohio. [name withheld] replies that she never told them that, but that weird things happened there. When Art asks “like what,” [name withheld] begins, [quote withheld] but does not finish before Art takes over. Art says he has read that. He says he believes in a kind of magic or witchcraft and believes curses are possible, and he cites a conversation with Brad Steiger. He calls it “dark stuff indeed.” No further event is described, and the program moves to the next caller.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
[name withheld], from South Pasadena, introduces themself and says they have a ghost story.
- 0:03
[name withheld] says that when they were about 18 they moved to Ravenna, Ohio.
- 0:19
[name withheld] says they moved in with some people, and the lady there told them she had been a witch for some time.
- 0:23
[name withheld] repeats the woman's claim that Ravenna was where all the real witches from Salem moved.
- 0:36
[name withheld] says the woman told them things that scared them, including things about what had happened to them as a child.
- 1:04
[name withheld] says she told them weird things happened there. When Art asks why Ravenna, [name withheld] says she never told them why.
- 1:12
Art asks for an example. [name withheld] begins, [quote withheld] but does not finish the list.
- 1:15
Art says he has read that and talks about his belief in magic, curses, and the power to affect people, citing Brad Steiger.
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· 0:22
A woman the caller moved in with said she had been a witch for some time.
- hearsay· 0:23
The woman said Ravenna was where all the real witches from Salem moved.
- observation· 0:36
The woman reportedly told the caller things about events from their childhood, which they say scared them.
- observation· 1:04
The caller reports that the woman said many weird things happened in Ravenna.
- observation· 1:12
Asked for an example, the caller begins with hives of bees stinging people.
- host statement· 1:34
The host states his own belief that curses can exist.
- host statement· 1:57
The host calls witchcraft dark.
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.
This is a brief, firsthand story that is partial and incomplete. It gives some concrete details but no complete event and no date, and ordinary explanations fit easily. Because it is fragmentary, the score is capped.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand story from the caller about their own move and conversation.
- Concrete details include South Pasadena, Ravenna, Ohio, and their age when they moved.
- The story is consistent as far as it goes and does not contradict itself.
- No date, no full name for the woman, and no complete story of any strange event.
- The only weird event reported is cut off after [quote withheld]
- Ordinary explanations fit easily. Bee stings are natural, and the childhood statements could have come from prior or general knowledge.
- Whether the caller personally experienced the bee stings or is repeating local claims.
- Whether more weird events were about to be described.
- The woman is unnamed and no date is given.
- 0:03
- 0:36
- 1:12
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects the scoring guide's cap for stories too short or incomplete to assess, combined with low specificity and a good fit with ordinary explanations.
The core is the caller's word alone. Some place and personal names are given, but there is not enough checkable detail to raise the score beyond the lowest range.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives their first name and location, an age, and a named place: Ravenna, Ohio.
- The caller mentions a named person, Art, and the host mentions a named author, Brad Steiger.
- No documents, photographs, recordings, or physical evidence are presented.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- No date, full name for the woman, or specific records are supplied.
- The date of the events and the woman's identity are not stated.
- The caller's example is unfinished.
- 0:03
- 0:03
- 1:12
What the model inferred (not said on air): Named places alone do not give checkable support for the strange claim, and no outside check was done.
This is more an unfinished witch anecdote than a frightening story. It has a mildly eerie frame but no threat, escalation, or lasting dread.
Evidence for and against
- A self-described witch and Salem witch lore may give the story an eerie frame.
- The caller says the woman told them things about their childhood that scared them.
- The host calls it “dark stuff indeed.”
- No threat, attack, bedroom intrusion, child witness, or physical horror is described.
- The call is short and ends with the host's comments rather than an unsettling turn.
- The single example, bees stinging people, is more a nuisance than a lasting source of dread.
- The call is cut off before any fuller weird event can be described.
- 0:22
- 0:36
- 1:57
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is judged by its effect on a listener, not as truth or evidence.
This is a familiar frame of witches and Salem moving elsewhere, with one distinctive but undeveloped bee-sting detail. The provisional score is moderate because the story is incomplete and mostly stock lore.
Evidence for and against
- A self-described witch in Ravenna, Ohio, together with bees stinging people, is a somewhat unusual detail within a familiar witch-lore frame.
- The story of Salem witches moving elsewhere is a familiar piece of occult lore.
- No developed ghost or other paranormal event is described.
- The story is too incomplete to establish a distinctive detail.
- The published originality score may differ once it is compared with the rest of the archive.
- 0:23
- 1:12
What the model inferred (not said on air): No comparison with the rest of the archive is available here, so this is a provisional estimate based on content.
Scoring confidence 0.35 · analysis confidence 0.55 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story of a conversation; No documents or physical evidence; No second witness speaks on air; The host says he has read about something similar but does not examine any evidence. 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.
- The woman's apparent knowledge of the caller's childhood could have ordinary sources, such as prior acquaintance or general cold-reading techniques. · The caller does not say what the childhood statements were, only that they were “about” their childhood. Prior knowledge, local gossip, or general statements that the caller matched to their own life could account for the claim.
- The bee-stinging report may be about ordinary bee activity rather than something strange. · The only example given is [quote withheld] which describes something that happens in nature.
- The “witch” element may be a personal identity or local lore rather than evidence of a paranormal event. · The only basis for the supernatural framing is the woman's description of herself and the caller's decision to call it a “ghost story.”
What stands out
The caller frames the call as a ghost story, but no ghost or haunting is described. The only concrete weird detail is an unfinished example about bees stinging people. Much of the call is the host's own commentary on witchcraft rather than the caller's story.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.