Dark presence and being thrown in a Yosemite employee tent cabin
A first-time caller who identifies themselves as [name withheld], from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tells Art Bell a story they say took place about ten years earlier, while they worked as a photo lab assistant in Yosemite National Park, California. They report feeling an unpleasant presence inside their employee tent cabin at dusk and seeing a darkness “darker than black” that seemed to turn and look at them. They say they were then rushed and knocked 15 feet from their door, blacked out, and heard a scream. They offer the idea that it was connected to [quote withheld] and say they cannot really explain it.
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 2001-2.mp3”, starting at 4:42). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
A first-time caller identifies themselves as [name withheld], from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and says their story took place about ten years earlier, when they worked as a photo lab assistant in Yosemite National Park, California. One evening, after talking with their parents, they say they walked home along the Merced River. They say they had recently been reading about the folklore, mythology, and history of Yosemite Valley connected with the Miwok Indians. Approaching the tent cabin they shared with other employees (they say there were ten such cabins), they describe their mind as “completely blank” and say they believe that contributed to what happened next. Standing at their door, unlocking it at twilight, they say they felt something strange inside, like an unpleasant “aura radiating” from within. When they opened the door they report pitch blackness, [quote withheld] “darker than black.” The caller says this dark matter [quote withheld] and that they felt it looked into their soul, which they link to a kind of psychic sense or third eye. They then say it rushed at them [quote withheld] like a poltergeist “swoosh.” It hit them and they blacked out, remembering a white light and a ghastly scream. They say they came to lying on their back fifteen feet from the door and did not know how they got there. Asked whether they had been drinking, they say they had just gotten off work and were [quote withheld] Asked what they think happened, they say they had the feeling it was connected to [quote withheld] but that they can't really explain it. Art offers another theory: a blank mind left them susceptible at that moment.
Reported events, in order
- 0:15
The caller identifies themselves as [name withheld], from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and says the story took place about ten years earlier while they worked as a photo lab assistant in Yosemite National Park, California.
- 0:23
They say they were walking home one evening along the Merced River after talking with their parents.
- 0:40
They say they had recently been looking into the folklore, mythology, and history of Yosemite Valley connected with the Miwok Indians.
- 1:01
They say they approached the ten employee tent cabins with their mind “completely blank.”
- 1:31
Standing at their door unlocking the lock at twilight, or dusk, they say they felt something very strange inside the cabin.
- 1:45
They say they could almost feel an aura radiating from inside, and that it was not pleasant.
- 1:59
They say they opened the door onto pitch blackness, “darker than black,” like looking into dark matter.
- 2:05
They say the dark matter [quote withheld]
- 2:25
They say they felt the thing turn and look into their soul.
- 2:43
They say they felt it rush at them like a hurricane kind of force.
- 2:51
They say the thing hit them, that they completely blanked out, and that they remember a white light and a ghastly scream.
- 3:03
They say they came to lying on their back, 15 feet from the door, and did not know how they got there.
- 3:22
Asked by the host, they say they had just gotten off work and were sober.
- 3:31
They offer the explanation that it had something to do with [quote withheld] and say they can't really explain it.
- 4:04
The host offers another theory: that a blank mind leaves a person susceptible.
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· 1:31
They felt something strange inside the cabin before opening the door.
- observation· 1:45
They felt an unpleasant aura radiating from inside the cabin.
- observation· 1:59
They saw pitch blackness inside, [quote withheld] “darker than black.”
- observation· 2:05
The darkness appeared to turn and look at them.
- observation· 2:25
They felt the thing look into their soul.
- observation· 2:43
They felt it rush at them [quote withheld]
- observation· 2:51
It hit them, they blanked out, and they remember a white light and a ghastly scream.
- observation· 3:03
They came to lying on their back 15 feet from the door.
- interpretation· 3:31
They attribute it to [quote withheld]
- host statement· 4:04
The host asserts that a blank mind makes a person susceptible.
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.
Firsthand, reasonably specific, and coherent, with some ordinary possibilities acknowledged. It remains unbacked by anyone else, and the strange event is vague in nature.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand account from a direct witness.
- Concrete setting and markers: [quote withheld] [quote withheld] [quote withheld]
- They address an ordinary explanation: [quote withheld]
- They admit uncertainty: [quote withheld]
- No other witness backs up the story.
- The perception is described loosely, as a feeling rather than a clear observation.
- An unusual gap in consciousness could allow ordinary causes.
- The labels showing who is speaking are inconsistent across lines, so who says some lines is uncertain.
- The exact physical way they were moved 15 feet is not described.
- 0:15
- 3:22
- 3:39
What the model inferred (not said on air): Closeness to the source and consistency are my judgments from the text; no outside check was performed and nothing here verifies the events.
Only the caller's word is present. Some specifics that could be checked (name, place, time frame) are given but not checked, and there is no physical evidence or second witness on air.
Evidence for and against
- Specifics that could be checked in principle: “I'm [name withheld],” “Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” and Yosemite National Park.
- A stated time frame: [quote withheld]
- No documentation, photograph, recording, or other object is claimed.
- No other witness speaks or is named.
- Nothing in the broadcast allows any detail to be verified.
- 0:12
- 0:15
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored at the low end of the 11 to 25 range because the checkable specifics are generic and unverified.
Darkness “darker than black,” a presence that looks into the caller's soul, a rush, a blackout, and a scream create a sustained sense of threat, though the story is brief and ends without escalation.
Evidence for and against
- “Darker than black.”
- [quote withheld]
- [quote withheld]
- The event is reported as a single short episode.
- The host's joking tone after the story lightens this part of the broadcast.
- The nature of the presence is never described beyond darkness and force.
- 2:05
- 2:25
What the model inferred (not said on air): My rating reflects the story's tone and content, not any judgment of whether it happened.
A dark attacking presence is a familiar frame, set apart here by the tent-cabin-in-Yosemite setting, the “dark matter” description, and the Miwok-history framing.
Evidence for and against
- Uncommon setting: employee tent cabins in Yosemite.
- [quote withheld]
- A dark presence and being rushed or chased are stock motifs.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive is limited at the pilot stage; the score is provisional.
- 1:59
- 0:40
What the model inferred (not said on air): A familiar core with distinctive details; provisional subscores would refine this.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand testimony only; No physical evidence claimed or examined; No second witness on air. The originality score blends the model's score (55) 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 sudden fright while unlocking a dark cabin at twilight could have caused a startle or a fall, which would fit the reported blackout and waking on the ground away from the door. · They say that standing at the door it [quote withheld] and that after being hit they “completely blanked out” and later found themselves “on my back.”
- An outside cause such as a gust of wind or an animal near the tent cabin might account for a sudden forceful sensation. · They describe the force as [quote withheld] though this does not itself explain the dark mass they perceived.
- A brief loss of consciousness (for example, fainting) could explain the gap in their story and waking on the ground. · They report a period of blacking out followed by finding themselves some distance from the door.
What stands out
The story combines a perceived “dark matter” that seems to turn and look at the caller with a claimed physical rush that knocks them unconscious and leaves them on the ground some distance from their door. The setting, employee tent cabins in Yosemite, framed by the caller's recent reading on Miwok history, is more specific than the usual haunting at home.
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