An out-of-body view of themselves after smoking a found cigar (caller, Salinas, California)
A caller who gives their location as Salinas, California, tells Art Bell that at age 18 they found what they took to be a regular cigar in a bag at school. They took it home and smoked it, their first time smoking anything. They report becoming frightened, seeming to see themselves from above as a small person, and being taken by ambulance to a hospital, where they say staff told them they had nearly died. They end by recalling the warning they say they were given about drugs.
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 2001-3.mp3”, starting at 1:48:55). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who states [quote withheld] says that [quote withheld] and that they had never tried any kind of drug before. They say they [quote withheld] The caller assumed it was a regular cigar, took it home, and smoked it, which they say was [quote withheld] The caller reports that they then went into their house, where their family was watching television, and that [quote withheld] and they [quote withheld] The caller describes seeing themselves: [quote withheld] The caller says [quote withheld] This was a small version of themselves looking back at themselves, which the caller repeats later as [quote withheld] The caller says they started “faking” and that their family put a blanket over them after they asked to be in the dark. They report that their family called an ambulance and they were taken to the hospital. The next day they were asked what happened and told they had been [quote withheld] The caller says they told them [quote withheld] The caller says they were given a warning: [quote withheld] Art Bell responds that it sounds like the near-death experiences described by other callers that night.
Reported events, in order
- 0:14
The caller states they are in Salinas, California, and that at 18 they were experimenting but had never tried drugs.
- 0:28
The caller says they found what they took to be a regular cigar in a bag at school and took it home.
- 0:42
The caller says they smoked the cigar, their first time smoking anything.
- 0:50
The caller says they went into their house, where their family was watching television, and something began happening to them. They became scared.
- 1:03
The caller reports seeing themselves as if in a mirror, seeming to be in the air, a small person looking at themselves.
- 1:29
The caller says they started faking and asked to be in the dark. Their family put a blanket over them.
- 1:44
The caller reports their family called an ambulance and they were taken to the hospital.
- 1:52
The caller says that the next day in the hospital they were asked what happened and told they had almost died.
- 2:09
The caller says they told them they had taken an unknown drug they found at school.
- 2:34
The caller says they were warned not to try such a thing again because they might not survive.
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· 1:03
The caller saw themselves from outside, as if looking in a mirror.
- observation· 1:10
The caller seemed to be in the air as a small version of themselves looking down at themselves.
- hearsay· 1:58
The caller reports that hospital staff told them they had almost died.
- interpretation· 2:09
The caller blames the episode on an unidentified drug, which they were told they had taken.
- hearsay· 2:34
The caller says they were warned that trying the same thing again might be fatal.
- host statement· 2:57
The host says the story resembles near-death experiences other callers described that night.
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 firsthand story with some concrete detail (age, town, the found cigar, the ambulance and hospital). But an ordinary drug-related explanation fits it easily, and it lacks a date, a name, or any checking.
Evidence for and against
- The caller reports the experience as their own ([quote withheld]).
- Concrete specifics: age 18, Salinas, a cigar found in a bag at school, an ambulance, and the hospital the next day.
- The caller uses qualifying language about the substance (“maybe”).
- The caller themselves links the episode to an unidentified drug.
- No date, decade, name, or record is given.
- No other person on air backs up the out-of-body part.
- The labels showing who is speaking switch between the caller and the caller.
- It is unclear what the caller means by “faking.”
- 1:03
- 2:09
What the model inferred (not said on air): The component scores (source proximity about 22, specificity about 11, consistency about 13, alternative explanations about 4, calibration about 7) and the example [quote withheld] are the scorer’s judgment, not statements from the transcript.
Only the caller’s own word exists. A town is given but no name, date, or record, and no second witness speaks on air.
Evidence for and against
- A stated location, Salinas, California.
- An identifiable kind of episode (a hospital visit the next day) that could in principle be checked.
- No documentation, recording, or photograph is mentioned.
- The medical statements are reported secondhand from staff who do not speak.
- The substance is never identified, so no toxicology or record could be tied to the story.
- 0:14
- 1:52
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score falls in the 11 to 25 range because there is a location that could be checked but no record that could be. No outside check was made.
The story is frightening for the young caller within it: sudden fear, viewing themselves from outside, an ambulance, and being told they nearly died. But it is brief, not hostile, and without threatening imagery.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- The caller says they were told they had “almost” died.
- No threatening figure, presence, or harm is described.
- The ending has the caller treated and warned, not left in suspense.
- Muffled audio and garbled lines reduce the clarity of the caller’s telling.
- 1:03
- 2:09
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects what happens in the story (fear, an out-of-body view of oneself, a near-death frame), not any assessment of the caller.
The near-death and out-of-body frame is familiar. But the detail of seeing a miniature version of themselves floating and looking down is distinctive.
Evidence for and against
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- The near-death frame itself and the hospital aftermath are stock elements of the genre.
- The published originality score is compared with the rest of the archive and is provisional in this pilot.
- 1:10
What the model inferred (not said on air): The content-based score is 48. A comparison with the rest of the archive may adjust it.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.65 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story (live call); A secondhand report of what hospital staff said, with no documentation; No recording, photograph, or record mentioned. The originality score blends the model's score (48) 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.
- Intoxication from an unidentified smoked substance could produce fear, confusion, and a sense of viewing oneself from outside. · The caller says they smoked a found cigar and later told hospital staff [quote withheld]
- Severe fear at home could explain the blanket request and the ambulance call without anything paranormal. · The caller says [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
What stands out
The caller presents the story as a near-death experience, but its trigger was accidentally smoking an unidentified substance found at school. The medical details reach the listener only through the caller’s report of what hospital staff told them.
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