Fax: Root beer carried down stairs by itself at a 40-day memorial gathering
A fax read on air by the host is attributed to a writer who calls themselves [quote withheld] It describes a family gathering held 40 days after their father's death in 1992. The writer reports that a six-pack of root beer came down the stairs into the kitchen as if carried by someone and then stopped. The writer says cabinet doors, other doors, footsteps, and a feeling of closeness still occur. They take this to mean their father is still taking care of the family, and say the family is not scared.
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 1997.mp3”, starting at 2:58:29). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The host reads a fax from someone who calls themselves [quote withheld] The writer says they are faxing an experience their family had when their father passed away in 1992. The writer explains that in the Alaska Native way a 40-day party is held for the dead person, with the person's favorite food and drinks prepared. The writer says the family was cooking turkey and seafood and that approximately 15 people were present. According to the letter, a root beer came down the stairs leading into the kitchen, looking as if someone was carrying a single six-pack, and then stopped at the bottom of the stairs. The host interjects that this is [quote withheld] The letter continues that things are still happening: kitchen cabinet doors opening as if someone is getting a cup down, doors opening and closing, footsteps, and the feeling of being close to someone. The writer states the family is not scared by it but believes and understands that their dad is still taking care of them. The writer signs off saying they enjoy listening. The brief story gives no further description of the root beer's motion, no measurements, no dates beyond 1992, and no mention of any attempt to test or explain the events.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
The fax writer's father died in 1992. The family held a 40-day memorial party in the Alaska Native way, preparing his favorite food and drinks.
- 0:27
Family members were cooking turkey and seafood, with approximately 15 people present.
- 0:36
A root beer came down the stairs into the kitchen, looking as if someone were carrying a single six-pack, then stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
- 0:46
The letter reports continuing activity: kitchen cabinet doors opening as if someone were getting a cup down, doors opening and closing, footsteps, and a feeling of being close to someone.
- 1:03
The writer says the family is not scared and believes their father is still taking care of them.
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 writer's father passed away in 1992, and the family held a 40-day memorial party for him.
- observation· 0:27
About 15 people were present while the family cooked turkey and seafood.
- observation· 0:36
A root beer came down the stairs into the kitchen as though someone were carrying a single six-pack, then stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
- observation· 0:46
Kitchen cabinet doors open as if someone is getting a cup down. Doors open and close, footsteps occur, and there is a feeling of being close to someone.
- interpretation· 1:03
The writer believes their dead father is still taking care of the family and says they are not scared by the events.
- host statement· 0:45
The host presents the moving root beer as an unexplained event in itself.
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 fairly concrete for its length, with a stated year, a described custom, a headcount, and a specific object. It is coherent, and the writer separates belief from observation. It remains a family anecdote that no one else backs up, with easy ordinary readings of the door, footstep, and cabinet reports.
Evidence for and against
- A specific year of death and a named mourning custom: [quote withheld]
- Concrete detail of the moving object and its stopping point: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The writer separates belief from observation: [quote withheld]
- No description of how the root beer moved or whether anyone tested it, only a comparison to being carried.
- The recurring events (cabinet doors, doors, footsteps) are ordinary household sounds and movements.
- Approximately fifteen people were in the house, so human action is not addressed or ruled out.
- It is not stated whether the writer personally saw the root beer move or only reports the family's story.
- Some lines of the read fax are garbled by transcription.
- 0:36
- 1:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): The source-proximity component is scored as firsthand but partial (the letter says [quote withheld] without stating that the writer personally watched the root beer). The alternative-explanation component is scored low because a house with about fifteen people present, plus ordinary loose doors and footsteps, fits the reports easily.
There is no physical evidence, no second witness on air, and no documentation examined. Only a self-given name, a town, and a year are offered. This places the story at the lower end of the band for checkable specifics given but not checked.
Evidence for and against
- A stated date and place: [quote withheld] and “Sitka, Alaska.”
- A stated number of people present: [quote withheld]
- The name given is explicitly a self-chosen one: [quote withheld]
- No photograph, recording, copy of the letter, or other item is described or examined on air.
- No witness speaks on air. The host reads the letter alone.
- It is not stated whether any of the fifteen people other than the writer made a statement of their own.
- No outside check of any kind was performed.
- 0:00
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored near the bottom of the 11 to 25 band because the identifying information cannot be verified (a pseudonym), and there is no claimed artifact or second voice on air.
A household object descending a staircase by itself is mildly unsettling, and the reported doors, footsteps, and sense of a nearby presence touch on familiar eerie ground. The writer's protective framing and their statement that the family is not scared keep the tone low.
Evidence for and against
- An object reported to move by itself in a home: [quote withheld]
- An ongoing sense of presence: [quote withheld]
- The writer explicitly defuses fear: [quote withheld]
- The interpretation is comforting: the father [quote withheld]
- No threat, harm, contact, or growing menace is reported.
- The exact setting of the ongoing events (which rooms, at what times) is not stated.
- 1:01
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed at the low end of “mildly eerie” rather than higher because the story is short, unresolved but gentle, and contains no intrusion into a bedroom or any harm.
The pattern of household objects and doors moving, footsteps, and a sense of presence after a death is a familiar poltergeist and afterlife pattern. The distinctive element is the specific object and setting: a six-pack of root beer descending a staircase as if carried, during an Alaska Native 40-day memorial gathering.
Evidence for and against
- An unusual specific object in motion: [quote withheld]
- A culturally specific setting described in the letter: the 40-day memorial party.
- Doors opening and closing, footsteps, and a feeling of presence are stock ghost-story elements.
- The comforting [quote withheld] conclusion is a common motif.
- Originality is measured against a small pilot archive, so the published score is provisional.
- 0:27
What the model inferred (not said on air): My judgment: a familiar poltergeist and afterlife pattern carrying one clearly distinctive detail, hence around the midpoint of the scale.
Scoring confidence 0.70 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The writer's written account, read aloud on air (automatic transcription).; No artifacts, documents, photographs, or recordings described or examined.; No second witness speaking on air.. The originality score blends the model's score (60) 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 person at the gathering moved or carried the root beer, or the movement was part of the memorial gathering itself. · The letter says approximately 15 people were present at the house during the party.
- Ordinary house noises and loose fittings account for cabinets and doors opening, and for footsteps and creaks in a home with people in it. · The ongoing events reported are kitchen cabinet doors opening, doors opening and closing, and footsteps.
- An object left on a stair could slide, shift, or be nudged down the steps, though the letter describes it as if it were being carried rather than sliding. · The root beer is said to have come down [quote withheld] and stopped at the bottom.
What stands out
The moving object is oddly specific and domestic: a six-pack of root beer descending a staircase as if carried, at an Alaska Native 40-day memorial gathering. The writer frames the whole set of events as protective rather than threatening.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.