Daughter’s invisible friend Daggett and a cold chair in a Kansas City-area house
Caller [name withheld], from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, recounts his daughter’s childhood invisible friend “Daggett” in an old Kansas City-area house, noises in the basement, and a cold chair in her bedroom. The story ends with the daughter now a university freshman involved in Wicca. The host cuts off the call before [name withheld] finishes an answer about asking her about Daggett.
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 1:32:20). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
Caller [name withheld], from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, says he is calling with a story about his daughter. He says that when she was about four years old, the family moved to the Kansas City area and bought an old two-story house. Shortly after they moved in, a neighbor’s house was broken into. Police later asked the family if they had heard or seen anything. After the police left, the daughter said, [quote withheld] [name withheld] says he asked who Daggett was. The daughter said [quote withheld] [name withheld] says he is from California and knew of Daggett, California, but the daughter had never been to California, and he did not know where she got the name. He and his wife wrote it off as childhood imagination. They lived there about four years, and [name withheld] says they “constantly heard things,” especially in the basement. His wife would not go into the basement unless he was in the house. At night she would not go at all, even with him, so he did the laundry. The daughter would sometimes run to the basement stairs and yell [quote withheld] and the noise would stop. One night [name withheld] went into her bedroom to read a bedtime story and sat in a large overstuffed chair next to the bed. He says it was like walking into a meat locker, so cold it took his breath away. His daughter screamed, [quote withheld] [name withheld] then says his daughter is now a freshman at a university in Oklahoma whose name he withholds. She is president of the university’s pagan society, a witch, and a member of Wicca. He says she called about an hour before to talk about an overnight bonfire. The host asks whether he ever asks about Daggett. [name withheld] begins [quote withheld] and the host cuts him off for a break. No cause for the reported events is stated.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The caller identifies himself as [name withheld], from Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
- 0:06
[name withheld] says he called about a week ago about his new guinea singing dog and now has a story about his daughter.
- 0:12
When his daughter was about four, the family moved to the Kansas City area and bought an old two-story house.
- 0:24
Shortly after they moved in, the neighbor’s house was broken into. Police later asked whether the family had heard or seen anything.
- 0:35
After the police left, the daughter said her friend Daggett would never let bad people in the house.
- 0:41
[name withheld] asked who Daggett was.
- 0:51
The daughter said Daggett lived in the house and had been there a long time.
- 1:05
[name withheld] and his wife wrote it off as childhood imagination.
- 1:11
They lived there about four years.
- 1:16
[name withheld] says they constantly heard things, especially in the basement.
- 1:21
His wife would not go into the basement unless he was in the house. At night she would not go at all, even with him, so he did the laundry.
- 1:39
The daughter would sometimes run to the basement stairs and yell [quote withheld] and the noise would stop.
- 2:00
One night [name withheld] went into her bedroom to read a bedtime story.
- 2:08
He sat in a large overstuffed chair next to the bed, and it felt like walking into a meat locker. It was so cold it took his breath away.
- 2:18
His daughter screamed, [quote withheld]
- 2:25
The host asks how old his daughter is now.
- 2:29
[name withheld] says this is [quote withheld] His daughter is a freshman at a university in Oklahoma whose name he withholds.
- 2:36
He says she is president of the university’s pagan society.
- 2:45
He says she is a witch.
- 2:47
He says she is a member of Wicca.
- 2:55
He says she called about an hour ago about a big overnight bonfire.
- 3:10
The host asks if he ever asks about Daggett.
- 3:14
[name withheld] says he asked her tonight and is cut off for a break.
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· 0:35
The daughter said her friend Daggett would not let bad people into the house.
- hearsay· 0:51
The daughter said Daggett lived in the house and had been there a long time.
- observation· 1:16
The caller says the family constantly heard things, especially in the basement.
- observation· 1:21
The caller says his wife would not go into the basement unless he was in the house, and not at night.
- observation· 1:39
The daughter would run to the basement stairs and yell at Daggett to be quiet, and the noise would stop.
- observation· 2:13
The caller sat in an overstuffed chair beside his daughter’s bed and felt extreme cold that took his breath away.
- hearsay· 2:18
The daughter screamed for her father to get off Daggett.
- host statement· 3:22
The host sums up the story as [quote withheld]
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 caller gives a consistent, largely firsthand story with concrete details of home life. But the central presence is reported through a child, and the early events have easy ordinary explanations. Because key claims of the unexplained come secondhand from the daughter, I apply the cap of 60 for secondhand accounts.
Evidence for and against
- The caller describes his own experience of sudden cold in the chair.
- The story has a clear sequence and concrete details such as the old two-story house, the basement, and the overstuffed chair.
- The daughter’s quoted statements are specific.
- Daggett is known only through the daughter’s childhood statements.
- Basement noises in an old house and a child’s imaginary friend have common ordinary explanations.
- No detail is independently checked.
- The ending is incomplete, so the caller’s final answer about Daggett is not heard.
- Some of the labels showing who is speaking appear to be wrong.
- No exact year or address is given.
- 2:13
- 0:35
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat the basement noises and the cold chair as the caller’s own observations, while the Daggett statements are hearsay from his daughter. The cap reflects that mix.
The story contains specifics that could be checked, such as Bartlesville, the Kansas City area, an old two-story house, and a university in Oklahoma, plus claimed witnesses. But none is verified and no physical evidence is presented.
Evidence for and against
- The caller names his home city, gives a region for the house, and names the state of his daughter’s university.
- He reports that his wife and daughter were also involved.
- No documentation or physical evidence is claimed.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- The call is cut off before the caller finishes answering about Daggett.
- No address, full names, exact date, photograph, recording, or document is provided.
- The daughter and wife are claimed witnesses but do not speak on air.
- 0:03
- 0:12
What the model inferred (not said on air): This falls in the 11 to 25 range because details that could be checked and claimed witnesses exist, but nothing is verified and no physical evidence is presented.
The story has a child’s unseen companion, basement noises, and a sudden intense cold in a bedroom chair followed by the child’s scream, which is unsettling. But no threat or harm is reported, and the ending is cut off.
Evidence for and against
- A father describes sudden intense cold in his daughter’s bedroom chair.
- The daughter screams for him to get off Daggett.
- The wife avoids the basement, which suggests fear in the household.
- Daggett is described as protective rather than threatening.
- No attack, injury, or malevolent figure is reported.
- The host cuts off the call before anything ominous develops.
- No visible figure is described, and the call is cut off before any later explanation or outcome.
- 2:13
- 2:18
What the model inferred (not said on air): The creepiness score is based on the story’s elements, not on any judgment about whether the events happened.
A child’s invisible friend and a cold spot are familiar motifs. But the named friend Daggett, the claim of protection, the cold in one chair, and the later Wicca detail give it a somewhat distinctive frame.
Evidence for and against
- The name Daggett is repeated and tied to the house and the chair.
- The story includes a later Wicca detail not usually attached to this kind of childhood-friend story.
- An invisible childhood friend, basement noises, and a cold spot are all common ghost-story elements.
- The story is incomplete, so later details about the daughter and Daggett are not available.
- 0:35
- 2:13
What the model inferred (not said on air): A named childhood invisible friend is not highly unusual. But the name Daggett, the protective statement, and the later Wicca detail make the story somewhat distinctive within the familiar haunted-house and imaginary-friend frame.
Scoring confidence 0.75 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story about basement noises and the cold chair; Reported statements by his daughter; No photograph, recording, document, or on-air second witness.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Childhood imagination, or an imaginary companion, could account for the daughter’s statements about Daggett, her yelling at him, and her scream when her father sat in the chair. · The caller says he and his wife [quote withheld] as “childhood imagination.”
- An old house, basement utility equipment, or ordinary household noises could account for the reported sounds in the basement. · The caller describes an “old two-story house” and says they “constantly heard things,” especially in the basement. The washer and dryer were in the basement.
- A draft or temperature difference near the overstuffed chair could account for the sudden cold. · The caller reports sitting in a “large overstuffed” chair next to the bed and feeling cold.
What stands out
The story links a child’s named invisible friend with a claim of protection, noises in the basement, and a chair that was cold in one spot. It then reports that the daughter later became a Wiccan. The host cuts off the call before [name withheld] can say what his daughter now says about Daggett.
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