Silhouette with red eyes in a South Dakota basement
A caller addressed as [name withheld] in their own story describes a difficult period when they took a part-time job in South Dakota, moved in with a 73-year-old woman, and returned to church. They say they woke in their basement room to slamming doors, a television switching off, a dark silhouette with two red eyes, and a voice telling them to come with it. They were unable to move. They report that a pastor anointed the doorknobs and blessed the house, after which the activity stopped.
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 1998.mp3”, starting at 2:26:40). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, addressed in their own story as [name withheld], says that during a marital crisis they took a part-time job in Emery, South Dakota. They cared for a husband and wife in their 80s (the wife, they say, had Alzheimer’s). Finding the situation difficult, they say they used a pay phone, looked up “abortion” in the directory, and were taken by a woman to an office in Mitchell, where they were shown films and offered another option: a 73-year-old woman down the street who was looking for a roommate. They say they moved in with her, returned to church, began baptism classes and teaching youth classes, and worked at a computer place that made floppy disks. They recount their pastor warning that a time would come when they would have to decide between the Lord and “elsewhere,” and that [quote withheld] The caller says they thought the pastor was “full of it.” One evening, they say, they left both doors open, slept in the basement, left the television on, and read a Bible passage. They report hearing two doors slam and the TV turn off. Then they opened their eyes to a silhouette with two red eyes and a voice saying “come with me,” and they were unable to move or scream. They say they repeated “Jesus saved me” in their mind, rolled onto their belly with a pillow over their head, and it was gone. The next day the doors were still open and the TV on, and their housemate [name withheld] upstairs had heard nothing. They say the pastor anointed the doorknobs and blessed the house, and they never heard anything again. They tell the host it was real and say they were 22. They confirm they went ahead with the divorce and had a healthy child born on Valentine’s Day.
Reported events, in order
- 0:26
The caller says they took a part-time job in Emery, South Dakota, to get away from their personal situation.
- 0:41
They say they worked for a husband and wife well into their 80s. The wife had Alzheimer’s, and they found the work difficult.
- 1:05
They say they used a pay phone and looked under “abortion,” and a woman on the line offered to pick them up and take them to an office in Mitchell.
- 1:37
They say they instead moved in with a 73-year-old woman, who got them back into church.
- 2:04
They tell how their pastor warned them that a time would come and that [quote withheld] They say they thought the pastor was “full of it.”
- 2:28
One evening, they say, they left both doors open, slept in the basement, left the television on, read a Bible passage, and went to sleep.
- 2:47
They report hearing two doors slam and the TV turn off.
- 2:56
They say they opened their eyes and saw a silhouette with two red eyes, which they compare to the Amityville Horror.
- 3:12
They report a voice saying “come with me.”
- 3:19
They say they were paralyzed and could not scream. They report repeating “Jesus saved me” in their mind, then rolled onto their belly with a pillow over their head, and it was gone.
- 3:37
They say the next day the doors were still open and the TV was on.
- 3:43
They say their housemate [name withheld], in the room above, heard nothing. They spoke to the pastor.
- 3:51
They say the pastor anointed all the doorknobs and blessed the whole house, and they never heard anything again.
- 4:04
The host asks whether the priest’s words were a subliminal suggestion. They say it was real and that they were 22 at the time.
- 4:44
They say they went ahead with the divorce and had a healthy child born on Valentine’s Day.
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· 2:47
They say they suddenly heard two doors slam and the television turn off while they were sleeping.
- observation· 2:56
They say that when they opened their eyes they saw a silhouette rather than a full ghost.
- observation· 3:03
They describe the silhouette as having two red eyes, which they compare to the film they name.
- observation· 3:12
They report that a voice spoke a command to them.
- observation· 3:21
They report being unable to move or speak while the figure was present.
- interpretation· 3:21
They say the phrase “Jesus saved me” ran through their mind, after which they could move.
- observation· 3:37
They report that the following day the doors were still open and the television was on.
- hearsay· 3:43
They report that their housemate, in the room directly above, heard nothing.
- interpretation· 3:51
They say the pastor anointed the doorknobs and blessed the house, after which nothing more was heard.
- hearsay· 2:15
They report that the pastor had earlier warned them that [quote withheld]
- interpretation· 4:20
They reject the host’s suggestion that the experience was self-suggested and say it was real.
- host statement· 4:04
The host asks whether the priest’s warning acted as a subliminal suggestion producing the experience in their mind.
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.
A clear, reasonably specific firsthand story. But one easy ordinary explanation (sleep paralysis in a dark basement bedroom) fits the core of paralysis and a figure well, and the caller largely asserts rather than tests alternatives.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand, direct-witness story with a coherent sequence from beginning to end.
- Concrete elements: Emery, South Dakota; Mitchell; a 73-year-old housemate; doors left open and TV left on; age 22; the next-day state of the doors and TV.
- The caller separates what they perceived from what they concluded, saying they saw [quote withheld]
- A very common explanation (waking in bed, paralysis, dark basement) fits the core of the story closely.
- The caller asserts rather than argues their case against the host’s suggestion ([quote withheld]), which is confidence by assertion rather than acknowledged uncertainty.
- No dates or checkable details of the house or the presence.
- No year is given for the events.
- Some lines carry conflicting labels for who is speaking, switching between the caller and the host, so a few attributions are unclear.
- 0:26
- 2:56
- 4:29
What the model inferred (not said on air): The component judgment (source proximity 20, specificity 13, consistency 15, alternative explanations 5, calibration 7 = 60, moderated down because an ordinary explanation fits easily) is my reasoning, not something said in the broadcast.
The story rests on the caller’s word plus a few named places and people that were never checked. There is no examined evidence and no second witness.
Evidence for and against
- Some checkable details are given: place names (Emery, South Dakota; Mitchell), a named housemate (“[name withheld]”), and the caller’s age (22).
- A physical trace is claimed only indirectly: the doors found open and the TV found on the next morning.
- No physical evidence (no photo, recording, or marks) is presented or examined.
- The only other person in the house is reported to have heard nothing ([quote withheld]).
- No independent backing on air.
- It is unstated whether any of the names or places could actually be located.
- 0:26
- 3:43
What the model inferred (not said on air): The range of 11 to 25 is my reasoning from the presence of unverified names and places. No outside check was done.
Being unable to move, a dark red-eyed silhouette at the bedside, and a commanding voice in a basement at night are genuinely unsettling, though the story is short and ends resolved.
Evidence for and against
- Intrusion into a sleeping space: the caller is woken in a basement bedroom at an unknown hour in the dark.
- Paralysis and inability to scream while a figure with two red eyes stands near them.
- A voice commands them: “come with me.”
- The religious framing (pastor’s warning, anointing of doorknobs) lends a threatening, adversarial tone.
- A brief, single-night event with a stated resolution (house blessed, nothing again).
- No reported injury or lasting harm.
- The caller never describes the figure’s size, distance, or duration in detail.
- 2:47
- 3:03
- 3:12
What the model inferred (not said on air): The creepiness rating reflects story content and structure only. It is not a claim about whether the events happened.
A familiar setup (a shadow figure with red eyes at the bedside, and paralysis) given a somewhat distinctive detail by the earlier warning from their pastor and the anointing of the door fittings.
Evidence for and against
- The sequence of doors slamming and the TV switching off immediately before the figure appears.
- The earlier, specific warning from their pastor that [quote withheld] later answered by the anointing of doorknobs.
- Household context (newly moved in with an elderly housemate after a personal crisis).
- The core ingredients, a dark figure, glowing red eyes, paralysis in bed, and prayer ending it, are standard ghost-story themes.
- The “Amityville Horror” comparison is a familiar cultural reference.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive is provisional with few stories.
- 2:15
- 3:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a provisional estimate. The comparison with the rest of the archive carries little weight at the pilot stage.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.68 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand word only.; No photograph, recording, or physical trace offered.; No second witness speaks on air. The housemate upstairs is reported to have heard nothing.. 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.
- Sleep paralysis or a hallucination while falling asleep or waking, in a dark, unfamiliar basement room. · The caller was asleep in a basement bedroom and reports being unable to move or cry out while a figure stood near the bed ([quote withheld]). This fits a sleep-paralysis episode, though they say they were first woken by doors slamming and the TV switching off.
- Doors and television affected by a draft, a loose switch or remote, or a power interruption rather than something unseen. · The caller left “both doors” open and the television on before sleeping, and the next morning reports the doors open and the TV on. That fits the doors or television having moved or been switched in some ordinary way, though they report hearing them slam and cut out at the time.
- Suggestion or expectation following religious instruction. · The caller had recently been re-baptized and been told by their pastor that [quote withheld] shortly before the event, so the experience may have been shaped by expectation. The host raises this possibility, and they reject it.
What stands out
The episode is bracketed by a specific warning from their pastor beforehand and a physical ritual afterward, the anointing of the doorknobs, which the caller presents as ending the activity. It also sits inside an unrelated story about a personal crisis, unlike a standalone haunting story.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.