Ouija board spells “Clock” and a Panama-shaped clock turns in Gamboa
An unnamed caller from west of the Rockies tells Art Bell about a Ouija board session roughly ten to fifteen years earlier at their sister's home in Gamboa, in the Panama Canal Zone. The caller says the board spelled out “Calibra” (Culebra) as the spirit's origin and then spelled “clock” after their sister asked for a presence. Minutes later, the caller says, the sister's cats ran wild and a clock cut in the shape of Panama was found turned 45 degrees. The caller says they never used the board again.
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 2001-1.mp3”, starting at 2:03:46). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller (identified only as being west of the Rockies) says their story goes back about ten or fifteen years, when the caller was in the Panama Canal Zone and their sister lived in Gamboa. The caller says their sister had a Ouija board and that they [quote withheld] with it. It was the first and last time the caller ever did so. According to the caller, they contacted a spirit and asked where it was from. The board spelled out “Calibra,” which the caller describes as the town of Culebra during the construction days. Their sister then asked whether it could make a presence, and the caller says it answered yes. The caller reports that the board then spelled out “clock” (c-l-o-c-k) and then “went to by” (apparently a misspelled “goodbye”).
The caller says their sister had about six cats at the time. About three minutes after the board “went by,” the cats were running wild in the house, and one of them went behind the refrigerator. The caller says their sister owned a clock made of exotic wood cut out in the shape of Panama, and that they noticed it had turned at a 45-degree angle. Asked how they account for it, the caller says they are “really not sure.” The caller states they did not physically see the clock turn and only noticed it later, within about five or ten minutes. The caller says that after the incident they never, ever brought the Ouija board out again, and that it [quote withheld] them. Art Bell remarks that if the board said “clock” and the clock was physically turned, that would be more than enough for him, and that the caller was lucky whatever interacted did not stay or cross over.
Reported events, in order
- 0:12
The caller says the events go back about ten or fifteen years, when the caller was in the Panama Canal Zone and their sister lived in Gamboa.
- 0:26
The caller and their sister play with her Ouija board, which the caller says was the first and last time they used one.
- 0:38
They contact a spirit and ask where it is from. The board spells “Calibra,” which the caller calls the town of Culebra during the construction days.
- 0:52
Their sister asks the spirit if it can make a presence; the caller says it answers yes.
- 1:30
The board spells out “clock” (c-l-o-c-k) and then leaves.
- 1:44
About three minutes later the sister's roughly six cats run wild in the house, and one goes behind the refrigerator.
- 1:55
They notice that a clock made of exotic wood, cut in the shape of Panama, has turned at a 45-degree angle. The caller says they did not see it turn and noticed within about five or ten minutes.
- 2:21
The caller says they never brought the Ouija board out again and that it scared 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· 0:43
The Ouija board spelled out “Calibra” when the spirit was asked where it was from, which the caller identifies as the town of Culebra during the construction days.
- interpretation· 0:38
The caller says they contacted a spirit through the board.
- observation· 0:52
Their sister asked the board whether it could make a presence, and the caller says it answered yes.
- observation· 1:30
The board spelled out “clock” before leaving.
- observation· 1:55
Roughly three minutes after the board session ended, the sister's cats were running wild in the house and one went behind the refrigerator.
- observation· 2:09
A clock made of exotic wood in the shape of Panama was found turned at a 45-degree angle.
- observation· 2:51
The caller says they did not see the clock turn, only noticed it later.
- interpretation· 2:36
The caller connects the clock turning to the Ouija session and says they are not sure how to account for it.
- host statement· 2:58
Art Bell says that if the board spelled “clock” and the clock was physically turned, that would be enough for him.
- host statement· 2:25
Art Bell asserts that something decided to interact with them and did not stay or cross over.
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 firsthand story from a participant who was present at the session and saw the displaced clock, with concrete place names and a physical detail (45 degrees, a wooden clock shaped like Panama). But there are no dates and no names, there is an easy ordinary fit for both the cats and the clock, and nothing backs it up beyond a claimed second witness.
Evidence for and against
- The caller was a direct participant in the Ouija session and was in the household where the clock was found.
- Specific details: Gamboa, the Panama Canal Zone, Culebra/Calibra, about six cats, a clock carved in the shape of Panama turned at 45 degrees.
- The caller separates what they perceived from what they concluded: [quote withheld]
- The clock turning has an easy ordinary fit (hanging crooked, a bump, vibration) and was not seen in motion.
- The cats' agitation is described only vaguely and has many ordinary possible causes.
- No date, full names, or documentation offered.
- The labels showing who is speaking are inconsistent in this part of the broadcast, so a few lines could be attributed to the wrong speaker.
- The board's final output is transcribed as “went to by,” which is unclear.
- The time is given only as [quote withheld] before 2001.
- 2:09
- 2:51
- 0:21
What the model inferred (not said on air): My reasoning, not from the broadcast: a firsthand but brief story, place names that could be checked in principle, and an ordinary explanation that fits both strange events place it above a vague hearsay story but below a detailed one backed up by others.
Only the caller's word plus a claimed second witness who does not speak on air. Some place names are given that could be checked in principle, but nothing was examined and no physical evidence was produced.
Evidence for and against
- Named places that could in principle be checked: Gamboa, the Panama Canal Zone, Culebra.
- A second person (the sister) is said to have been present.
- No photograph, recording, or document is offered or examined.
- The sister does not speak on air to confirm anything.
- Art Bell's remarks are reactions, not backing from another witness.
- Whether any physical object or record of the clock exists is not stated.
- No outside check was performed.
- 0:38
- 2:58
What the model inferred (not said on air): My reasoning: the 11 to 25 range fits because checkable specifics (places) and a claimed second witness exist, but no evidence of any kind was examined on air.
The story is eerie rather than frightening: a Ouija contact, pets panicking, and a household object found physically displaced, with no threat, contact, or harm reported. The host's closing remark about the presence not staying adds a mild sense of dread.
Evidence for and against
- A clock in the home is found turned 45 degrees after the board spells the word “clock.”
- The sister's cats are described as running wild, one hiding behind the refrigerator.
- Art Bell says they were lucky it did not [quote withheld]
- No figure is seen, no one is touched or harmed, and no ongoing activity is described.
- The caller treats parts of it lightly ([quote withheld]).
- The time of day is not stated, so the atmosphere of the setting is unknown.
- 1:55
- 2:25
What the model inferred (not said on air): My reasoning: a displaced household object and panicking pets are unsettling but lack the threat, intrusion into sleep, or physical contact that would push the score higher.
The Ouija board and reacting animals are stock elements. But the board spelling the word “clock” and a clock carved in the shape of Panama being found turned 45 degrees is a distinctive link within a familiar structure.
Evidence for and against
- The board spells a common noun that matches an object later found displaced.
- The object is specifically a clock cut out in the shape of Panama, made of exotic wood.
- Ouija board sessions in which a spirit names a place are a recurring ghost-story frame.
- Pets reacting and household objects moving are common motifs.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive cannot be judged from this one story; the model score is provisional.
- 1:30
- 2:09
What the model inferred (not said on air): My reasoning: a familiar frame plus one concrete, unusual matching detail puts this near the middle of the scale.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand testimony; A claimed second witness (their sister) who does not speak on air; No physical evidence, photograph, or document offered or examined. The originality score blends the model's score (50) 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.
- The clock may simply have been hanging crooked or been knocked or bumped, and was noticed only later rather than seen moving. · The caller says [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The cats' agitation could have an ordinary cause unrelated to the board session, such as a noise, an animal, or a disturbance in the house. · The only detail given is that about six cats were [quote withheld] and one went behind the refrigerator.
- The board's answers could come from the participants' own movement of its pointer, since the caller describes the session as “playing around” and says they are “really not sure” how to account for it. · The caller says [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
What stands out
The story pairs a Ouija board spelling a common noun (“clock”) with a matching object found displaced minutes later: a wooden clock carved in the shape of Panama. The caller notes, without being asked, that they never saw the clock move.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.