Bat on the host’s porch on the day his father died
Between callers, the host tells a brief personal story. On the day his father died, a bat flew onto their porch and would not move, although it appeared healthy. He says they moved it into the shade and that it left when night came. He stresses that this had never happened before. No name, place, or year is given for the event.
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 2003.mp3”, starting at 1:32:05). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
Speaking between callers, the host offers what he presents as a personal story, ending with [quote withheld] He says a bat flew onto their porch on the day his father died, a day when, as he puts it, he was [quote withheld] He stresses that bats simply do not behave that way and that in all the time they had been there it had never happened before. The bat, he says, would not move and appeared to have nothing wrong with it. He describes it as “fine.” Because it was warm, they scooped it up and set it in a shady spot. When night came, the bat left on its own. He repeats that a bat had never come to spend the day, [quote withheld] He tells the story right after a caller’s story about a white bird that led them to a grave. In the talk around it, the host remarks that [quote withheld] He does not say the bat was his father. He does not name any person, place, or year for the event, and he gives no explanation for the coincidence.
Reported events, in order
- 0:01
The host says that on the day his father died he was working on the air full time.
- 0:13
A bat flew onto their porch. He says bats do not normally do this and that it had never happened there before.
- 0:23
The bat would not move, though he says nothing seemed wrong with it.
- 0:33
Because it was warm, they scooped the bat up and put it in a shady spot.
- 0:33
When night came, the bat left.
- 0:42
He repeats that a bat had never come to spend the day before, and that it did so on the day his father died.
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· 0:01
On the day his father died, a bat came onto their porch.
- observation· 0:23
The bat would not move.
- observation· 0:26
Nothing appeared to be wrong with the bat.
- observation· 0:33
They moved the bat to a shady spot, and it left when night came.
- interpretation· 0:42
The bat’s visit is tied to the day his father died, and it had never happened before.
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 concise first-person story with a coherent sequence and some sensory detail. But it has no date, place, or named witnesses. The reported event, a bat lingering on a porch, has an easy ordinary reading that the host does not address.
Evidence for and against
- Told in the first person by the person who experienced it ([quote withheld]).
- Concrete details: a porch, warm weather, a shady spot, the bat leaving at night.
- The sequence is coherent, and the story is short, with no shifting or escalating details.
- No year, place, or additional named witness is given.
- The link to the father’s death rests entirely on the coincidence of timing.
- A bat staying in one spot on a porch is not in itself an extraordinary event.
- The label showing who is speaking is uncertain for one fragment of the story.
- No information is given about the bat’s condition beyond the host’s own impression.
- 0:01
- 0:17
- 0:42
What the model inferred (not said on air): The points for alternative explanations are set low because a common ordinary reading (a resting or disoriented bat, a coincidence of dates) fits easily and the host does not address it. The source-proximity and consistency points are my reading of a short but tidy first-person story.
The story rests solely on the host’s own assertion, with no documentation, no named specifics that can be checked, and no second witness speaking on air.
Evidence for and against
- The host states the story is true ([quote withheld]).
- No photograph, record, date, or place is offered that could be checked.
- The “we” in the story is unnamed and does not speak on air.
- No year or location is given, so nothing in the story can be independently located.
- 0:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): This falls in the 0 to 10 range because the only support is the host’s assertion. No outside check was done, and the score is far below the cap of 50.
The story is brief. The bat is unharmed and simply leaves. There is no threat, no intrusion into a bedroom or child’s space, and no escalation. The only unsettling note is the framing around a father’s death.
Evidence for and against
- The event is tied to the day the host’s father died.
- The host stresses that the behavior had never occurred before or since.
- The bat appeared well and was moved to shade rather than harmed.
- The episode ends quietly with the bat leaving at night.
- The surrounding talk about birds as signs is context only and is not part of this story.
- 0:42
What the model inferred (not said on air): I rate this low because the story has no threat, no frightening imagery, and no lasting dread. The mild eeriness comes from the death-day framing alone.
An animal appearing as an omen around a relative’s death is a familiar ghost-story theme. But the specific detail of a bat that will not move, is left in the shade, and departs at night is somewhat distinctive.
Evidence for and against
- Specific bat behavior: [quote withheld]
- The host stresses that the event was new for that location.
- The [quote withheld] pattern is a common theme.
- The story is very short and gives few distinctive details.
- How new the story is compared with the rest of the archive cannot be judged from one part of a broadcast, so the published score would be provisional.
- 0:23
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a provisional judgment of the content: a familiar theme with one distinctive detail. I place it around the middle mark of 50 rather than at the 20 mark for stock elements.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The host’s own brief firsthand story; No documentation, photograph, or recording claimed; No second witness speaks on air. 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.
- A bat resting or roosting in a shaded porch area during the day, or one that was briefly disoriented or unwell, could behave as described without anything paranormal. · The host says the bat “wouldn’t move,” was placed in a shady spot, and left on its own at night. He also says [quote withheld] which is only his own judgment.
- The link to his father’s death could be coincidence. Unusual everyday events and deaths sometimes fall on the same day by chance. · No cause or explanation is given. The only link is the timing on [quote withheld]
What stands out
This is a very short story from the host, built on a single natural event, a bat that stayed on a porch for a day, rather than a ghost sighting. He tells it right after a caller’s bird-and-grave story, which he uses to link the two.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.