Night vision goggles, an upside-down man, and a sheep on a Colorado farm
A caller tells Art Bell that while attending a religious school in Canyon City, Colorado, they repeatedly saw one sheep standing motionless and refusing to eat by day. The rancher reportedly said it only ate at night. One dark night, using cheap night vision goggles, the caller says they saw an upside-down man who seemed to be hand-feeding the sheep. They also saw other inverted figures and dog-like shapes. The caller says they threw a rock and the figures vanished. Then red dots chased them until they hid in a combine.
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 5:11:32). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
A first-time caller opens by saying a neighbor apparently took a copy of Art Bell's book from the caller's porch, joking that they are “bent on revenge.” Then the caller says they have a story. The caller says it happened in Canyon City, Colorado, while they were attending a religious school. Each weekend they would walk a couple of miles to a nativity shop, passing a farm with a flock of sheep. The caller reports that one sheep repeatedly stood motionless in a corner of the fenced area while the rest of the flock ate. The caller says they saw the same thing a couple of days later and again the following week. The third time the rancher was present. The caller reports asking the rancher about the odd sheep and being told the sheep would not eat in the daytime, only at night, and was afraid of the other sheep. One night, walking back from a party, the caller says they saw the lone sheep chewing in the moonlight without ever lowering its head. They described this to the host as “eating in midair.” The caller says they then bought night vision goggles cheaply on the black market and returned on a moonless night. Through the goggles the caller reports seeing the sheep standing on its hind legs with its neck stretched out. They saw a [quote withheld] who seemed to be hand-feeding it, with other upside-down people and dog-like shapes nearby. The caller says they threw a rock and it hit the sheep. The upside-down man stopped, appeared to spot the caller, and gestured to the others, and they vanished. Lowering the goggles, the caller says they saw baseball-sized red dots coming at them. The caller ran, hid in a combine for about three hours, and then ran back to their dorm.
Reported events, in order
- 0:02
The caller says they bought Art Bell's book and it disappeared from their porch. They suspect a neighbor and joke about revenge.
- 0:36
The caller says the story happened in Canyon City, Colorado, while they attended a religious school and walked to a nativity shop on weekends.
- 1:00
The caller reports passing a farm with a flock of sheep and seeing one sheep standing motionless in the corner of the fenced area while the rest ate.
- 1:18
The caller says they saw the same thing a couple of days later, and again the following week.
- 1:29
The caller reports asking the rancher about the odd sheep. The rancher said it would not eat in the daytime, only at night, and was afraid of the other sheep.
- 1:50
Walking back from a party one night, the caller says they saw the lone sheep chewing in the moonlight without lowering its head to the grass.
- 2:16
The caller says they bought night vision goggles cheaply on the black market and returned on a moonless night.
- 2:42
Through the goggles the caller reports seeing the sheep on its hind legs, neck stretched out, with a neon green image of an upside-down man who seemed to be hand-feeding it. They also saw other upside-down people and dog-like images.
- 3:06
The caller says they threw a rock at the image and it hit the sheep. The upside-down man stopped and appeared to spot the caller, gestured to the others, and they disappeared.
- 3:27
Lowering the goggles, the caller says they saw baseball-sized red dots coming at them. The caller ran, hid in a combine for about three hours, and then ran back to their dorm.
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· 1:00
The caller says one sheep stood motionless in the corner of the fenced area while the rest of the flock ate.
- hearsay· 1:37
The caller reports the rancher saying the sheep would only eat at night.
- observation· 2:00
The caller says they saw the sheep chewing in the moonlight without lowering its head.
- observation· 2:46
Through night vision goggles the caller says they saw an upside-down man who seemed to be hand-feeding the sheep.
- observation· 2:53
The caller says they saw other upside-down people and dog-like images through the goggles.
- observation· 3:15
The caller says the figure seemed to notice the caller after the rock hit the sheep.
- observation· 3:27
The caller says they saw red dots moving toward them and were chased.
- host statement· 4:02
In his closing remarks the host describes the figures as spirits.
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 clear, reasonably specific firsthand story with a coherent sequence over several weeks and some self-checking of the viewing device. But no one backs it up, it has no names or dates, and the ordinary equipment explanation is only partly addressed.
Evidence for and against
- A firsthand story throughout.
- A specific place and a consistent sequence of repeated observations.
- The caller separates what they perceived from what they concluded: “apparently hand-feeding,” [quote withheld]
- The caller reports checking the goggles instead of simply trusting them.
- No names, dates, or records. Nothing can be independently checked beyond a place name.
- The figures were visible only through an unusual device, and the obvious explanation that the device failed is only partly ruled out.
- No second witness to the figures. The rancher speaks only to the sheep's habits.
- The call opens with an unrelated joking story, and the story is closed with a “moral.”
- Who said the closing [quote withheld] line is uncertain.
- The caller does not say whether the story was offered as entertainment for a Halloween broadcast.
- 2:34
- 2:46
- 2:53
What the model inferred (not said on air): The totals for each part are my editorial judgment. The caller's hedged wording and their own check of the equipment support a score in the middle of the range.
There is only the caller's word, with one place name that could be checked and one reported second party, none of it verified. No photograph, recording, or document is claimed.
Evidence for and against
- A place is named: Canyon City, Colorado.
- A third party (the rancher) is reported to have commented on the sheep.
- The rancher's remark concerns the sheep, not the figures.
- No physical evidence, record, or second witness on the air.
- The goggles produced the only view of the figures and are not available.
- No outside check was done, and the transcript holds no recording of the goggle view.
- 0:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat the place name and the rancher's reported remark as the only specifics that could be checked. Both are unchecked.
Mildly to moderately unsettling. A watcher seems to turn toward the caller, then the caller is chased and hides for hours. But the absurd imagery and joking framing keep it below outright frightening.
Evidence for and against
- A figure seems to notice the caller.
- A chase and a three-hour hiding period.
- The caller returns to the dorm “in complete terror.”
- The comic tone of the call (the book story, [quote withheld]).
- No injury, threat, or harm is reported.
- The comic framing lowers dread for some listeners, and the chase raises it.
- 3:27
- 3:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): My judgment of the story's effect, not of its truth.
The core image is inverted human shapes, visible only through night vision goggles, feeding a sheep, with a rock-throwing interruption and a chase by red dots. That is a rare combination, not a stock haunting.
Evidence for and against
- Figures seen only through a specific device.
- Upside-down posture and an animal-feeding scene.
- A chase by red dots and hiding in a combine.
- It contains familiar elements: a lone animal, a night walk, an unresolved chase.
- The pilot archive is small, so the comparison with other stories is provisional.
- 2:46
What the model inferred (not said on air): The model score is my judgment from content alone. The published score is blended with how new the story is compared with the rest of the archive.
Scoring confidence 0.70 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: the caller's firsthand story; no recording, photograph, or document claimed; no second witness on the air; a rancher's reported remark about the sheep (hearsay, not on the air). The originality score blends the model's score (82) 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 flaw in the image, a malfunction, or a trick of the eye through the night vision goggles. · The figures were reportedly visible only through the goggles and described as a “neon green image.” The caller says they [quote withheld] and repeated the look.
- The story was offered as entertainment for a Halloween-night broadcast and not as a report of events. · The call opens with a joking story about a stolen book and “revenge,” and the host closes with [quote withheld] This is a possibility about the status of the story, not about the caller.
- The sheep's inactivity by day and isolation from the flock had an ordinary animal-health or behavioral cause. · The caller reports the sheep standing [quote withheld] and the rancher saying it was [quote withheld]
What stands out
The figures are reported as visible only through night vision goggles, and they appear inverted: an upside-down man hand-feeding a sheep while other inverted figures and dog-like shapes move around him. That is unlike the standard bedroom or house ghost story. The story also opens with a joke about a neighbor stealing Art Bell's book, and the host closes it with a moral.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.