Sensed presence and French windows opening by themselves in a rented Portland duplex, 1977
A caller named [name withheld], a former Portlander phoning from Seattle, tells Art Bell about events they say happened in 1977, in the first days after they rented half a duplex in Portland’s West Hills. They say they sensed a tall male presence and greeted it. Later that night, they say, they woke to find both roller shades flying up and the French-window latches turning, so that the windows opened by themselves. They say they later learned from two previous tenants that the place had a ghost.
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 2005.mp3”, starting at 1:39:47). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Seattle and describing themself as a former Portlander, tells Art Bell that in 1977 they had just rented half of a duplex in Portland’s West Hills. About the third night, while going in and out of the place in the evening, they say they sensed something behind them. Then they sensed a very tall being that they somehow knew was male. They say they turned around, addressed it, greeted it, and told it they meant no harm and that it was welcome in their home. They say they did not think much of it and went to bed. Around 2 a.m. (give or take an hour, they say), they woke when the pull shades on both of the house’s French windows went up almost simultaneously, “like bam-bam.” They say they then watched each latch turn and the windows open one at a time into the room, and that the wind was blowing the lace curtains. They say they did not sleep the rest of that night, and that they “just knew” the presence was taking its leave and exiting their life. Afterward, they say, they told two men who had lived there before them that the place had a ghost. They said “oh, yes,” and explained they had not told the caller because they thought it would scare the caller.
Reported events, in order
- 0:17
[name withheld] says they rented half of a duplex in Portland’s West Hills in 1977.
- 0:29
About the third night, in the evening, they say they sensed something behind them.
- 0:45
The caller says they sensed a very tall being they knew was male, turned around, greeted it, and said they meant no harm and that it was welcome.
- 1:14
The caller says they went to bed and woke around 2 a.m. (give or take an hour).
- 1:57
The caller says the pull shades on both French windows went up almost simultaneously, “like bam-bam.”
- 2:20
The caller says they watched each latch turn and the windows open one at a time into the room.
- 2:34
The caller says the wind was blowing and the lace curtains were moving.
- 2:43
The caller says they did not sleep the rest of the night and felt the presence was taking its leave.
- 3:15
The caller says they later told two previous tenants the place had a ghost. They said yes, and that they had not told the caller for fear of scaring the caller.
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· 0:29
The caller sensed something behind them in the evening.
- observation· 0:45
The caller sensed a very tall male being and turned to speak to it, welcoming it and saying they meant no harm.
- observation· 1:57
The roller shades on both French windows went up almost simultaneously.
- observation· 2:20
The caller watched the window latches turn and each window open by itself.
- interpretation· 2:48
The caller concluded the presence was leaving and exiting their life.
- hearsay· 3:21
Two previous tenants told the caller the place had a ghost and said they had not warned the caller for fear of scaring the caller.
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 consistent, specific, firsthand story with a clear sequence and time frame. But the main physical event has an easy ordinary explanation (spring roller shades and wind or a draft on loose window latches) that the caller does not weigh, and the caller firmly blames a ghost.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand story from the person who says they experienced it.
- Concrete time frame: 1977, about the third night, around 2 a.m., February.
- Sequence with sensory detail: shades flying up “bam-bam,” latches turning, curtains moving.
- The caller notes the wind was blowing and the shades were “old-fashioned.”
- Nothing backs it up on air, and the previous tenants’ confirmation is secondhand.
- The caller blames a ghost without addressing other explanations.
- The presence is described only by sensing, with no visual detail.
- The caller’s closing remark that they “just knew” it was leaving is an inference the caller does not explain.
- 0:29
- 2:20
- 2:34
What the model inferred (not said on air): The scores by part (closeness to the source 22, detail 16, consistency 15, ordinary explanations 5, calibration 6) are editorial judgment. Only the quoted content comes from the transcript.
The story rests entirely on the caller’s word. It names a year and a neighborhood, and it claims support from two former tenants who do not speak on air. No physical evidence is claimed.
Evidence for and against
- Details that could be checked but were not: 1977, Portland’s West Hills, a rented half-duplex.
- Claimed prior tenants who said there was a ghost.
- No photograph, recording, or document is mentioned.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- No documentation, recording, or second witness on air.
- The prior tenants’ remarks are reported by the caller, not heard directly.
- 3:15
What the model inferred (not said on air): This gets a low-to-middle score because a year and neighborhood are given, but nothing was checked and no independent witness speaks.
Being woken at about 2 a.m. on a cold February night and watching window latches turn and windows open by themselves, with wind moving lace curtains, is a moderately unsettling image. There is no threat, harm, or sustained escalation.
Evidence for and against
- Woken from sleep around 2 a.m.
- Windows and latches working by themselves.
- The caller says they did not sleep the rest of the night.
- The presence is greeted and welcomed, not resisted.
- The caller says they felt it was leaving and exiting their life.
- No threat, injury, or ill will is reported, which limits how frightening the story is.
- 2:20
- 2:34
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a judgment of the story’s effect on a listener, not a claim about the events.
A familiar haunted-rental story: a sensed presence and things opening by themselves. The distinctive details are the caller greeting the presence and watching the latches turn and the windows open one at a time.
Evidence for and against
- Sensed presence in a newly rented home.
- Greeting and welcoming the being rather than fleeing.
- Watching the latches work and the windows open one at a time.
- A presence and self-opening windows are common ghost-story motifs.
- The adjustment compared with the rest of the archive is provisional for the pilot. Only the model score is given here.
- 0:45
- 3:10
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a familiar poltergeist story (rented home, presence, things moving by themselves) with one or two distinctive touches.
Scoring confidence 0.70 · analysis confidence 0.75 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story; Claimed support from two former tenants, reported secondhand, not on air; No physical evidence, photograph, recording, or document mentioned. 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.
- Old-fashioned spring roller shades can roll up on their own if the spring or ratchet releases. · The caller notes [quote withheld]
- Wind or a draft acting on loose or worn window latches could let the French windows open. · The caller says [quote withheld] and it was a cold February night. The caller also describes the windows as ones you open inward for air.
What stands out
The caller does not flee or resist the presence. They turn, speak to the tall male being, tell it they mean no harm, and welcome it. The main physical event is a sequence the caller watched from bed: the roller shades flying up, then each latch turning so the French windows opened one at a time.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.