Two floating featureless figures on a Colorado mountain road
[name withheld], calling from St. Louis, Missouri, tells Art Bell about a nighttime drive they say they took in the mid-1980s while living in Colorado Springs. The caller says they and their girlfriend parked on a dark mountain road above town and saw two black, featureless head-and-torso figures floating silently and rapidly toward them. They fled by car. [name withheld] says their girlfriend later gave a matching account and added that the figures were nearly upon them as they drove off.
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The story as told
[name withheld], calling from St. Louis, Missouri, says the events happened years earlier, when they lived in Colorado Springs in the mid-1980s. [name withheld] and their girlfriend were out driving one night on a dark mountain road above town. They parked at an overlook facing away from the city lights, looking into the darkness of the road. [name withheld] says two shadowy, black, featureless figures emerged from the blackness and came silently toward them. Each appeared as a head and torso. The lower form was hard to make out and seemed to fade into nothingness. Asked by Art Bell whether they were floating, [name withheld] says they were floating straight toward [name withheld] and were not weaving, bobbing, or jostling as normal walkers would. [name withheld] estimates they were about 75 yards away, then about 50 yards a few seconds later, then about 25 yards. [name withheld] shouted for their girlfriend to get in the car. They scrambled in, [name withheld] had trouble starting the car, and then peeled out. Their girlfriend, looking out the rear window, called something recorded as “jimmy go.” They drove home frightened. After they calmed down, [name withheld] asked their girlfriend to give her version without telling her what [name withheld] had seen. [name withheld] says her account matched [name withheld]’s almost perfectly in every detail. She added that the two figures had closed the remaining distance and were nearly upon them as they drove off. [name withheld] says they have no idea what would have happened. [name withheld] has doubted whether they were people on bicycles or casual strollers, but thought bicycles would show some wavering or be heard.
Reported events, in order
- 0:05
[name withheld] says they are calling from St. Louis, Missouri, and that the events happened years earlier when they lived in Colorado Springs in the mid-1980s.
- 0:13
[name withheld] and their girlfriend drove one night on a dark mountain road above town and parked at an overlook facing away from the city lights.
- 0:35
Two shadowy, black, featureless figures emerge from the darkness and come silently toward them. Each appears as a head and torso, with the lower form fading out.
- 1:09
Asked by Art whether the figures were floating, [name withheld] says they were floating straight toward them without the jostling of walking.
- 1:40
[name withheld] estimates the figures at about 75 yards away and approaching.
- 1:56
The figures seem to close to about 50 yards and then about 25 yards in seconds. [name withheld] shouts for their girlfriend to get in the car.
- 2:10
They scramble into the car, [name withheld] has trouble starting it, and then peels out.
- 2:23
Their girlfriend, looking out the rear window, calls out what the transcript records as “jimmy go.”
- 2:28
They drive home scared and take time to calm down. [name withheld] later asks their girlfriend for her own version of what she saw.
- 2:43
[name withheld] says their girlfriend’s account matched [name withheld]’s in every detail and that she added the figures had nearly caught up as they drove away.
- 3:31
[name withheld] says they have no idea what would have happened and doubts the figures were people on bicycles or casual strollers.
- 4:36
Art closes the call by summing up the reported floating body parts moving quickly toward [name withheld].
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· 0:35
Two shadowy figures emerged from the blackness and came silently toward [name withheld] and their girlfriend.
- observation· 0:35
Each figure appeared as a head and torso, with the lower form fading into nothingness.
- observation· 0:50
The lower form was hard to make out and seemed to fade out rather than showing legs.
- observation· 1:09
The figures were floating straight toward them without side-to-side weaving or bobbing.
- observation· 1:40
The figures were first seen about 75 yards away and coming straight toward them.
- observation· 1:56
The figures appeared to close the distance rapidly, from about 50 yards to about 25 yards in seconds.
- observation· 1:56
[name withheld] shouted for their girlfriend to get in the car when the figures seemed about 25 yards away.
- hearsay· 2:43
[name withheld] says their girlfriend gave a matching account of her own and added that the figures were nearly upon them as they fled.
- hearsay· 2:55
According to [name withheld]’s report of their girlfriend’s account, the figures had closed the remaining distance and were nearly upon them.
- interpretation· 3:41
[name withheld] doubts the figures were people riding bicycles or similar.
- interpretation· 4:11
[name withheld] says the risk of approaching strangers on the road cast doubt on their being casual strollers.
- host statement· 4:36
Art sums up the story as human body parts floating evenly and moving quickly toward the witness.
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 firsthand, coherent story with a specific sequence and distance estimates, and [name withheld] separates what they saw from what they wondered. The main sighting is brief and at night, and the claimed second witness does not speak on air. Ordinary dark-road explanations are left partly open.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand recall with a stated location and decade (“mid-1980s”).
- Concrete sequence of distances and actions during the retreat.
- [name withheld] acknowledges uncertainty about what the figures were and what might have happened.
- The exact road and date are not given.
- The event is a short nighttime sighting with no physical evidence.
- The second witness is reported but does not speak on air.
- The automatic transcript splits many sentences and garbles the girlfriend’s call.
- 0:08
- 1:40
- 3:31
What the model inferred (not said on air): The floating and rapid approach are treated as reported perceptions, not verified events. The score reflects how coherent the story is and how close the caller was to the events, not whether it is true.
Support consists of [name withheld]’s word plus a claimed second witness who is not on air. There is no photo, recording, document, exact location, or record that can be checked.
Evidence for and against
- [name withheld] says their girlfriend gave a matching account of her own.
- [name withheld] gives specific distance estimates and a rough location and decade.
- The girlfriend does not speak on air.
- No physical evidence, and no exact date or road.
- The transcript garbles part of the girlfriend’s reported call.
- 2:43
- 2:23
What the model inferred (not said on air): A claimed witness is not confirmation on air, so the score stays low.
The story has a strong chase structure: silent featureless figures float rapidly toward a parked couple at night, then are said to be nearly upon them as they flee. There is no physical contact, but the unresolved near-approach is unsettling.
Evidence for and against
- The figures are described as black, featureless, and coming silently.
- The distance closes rapidly, and [name withheld] and their girlfriend scramble to escape.
- The girlfriend’s reported detail places the figures almost at the car.
- No injury, contact, or explicit threat is reported.
- They escape by car, and the story ends without further incident.
- The distance estimates are approximate and given after the fact.
- 0:35
- 2:55
- 2:28
What the model inferred (not said on air): The creepiness comes from the silent rapid approach and near-capture, not from reported violence.
Shadow figures on a dark road are a familiar frame. The head-and-torso-only form fading below, the perfectly smooth floating, the rapid closing of distance, and the reported matching account from a second person give the story distinctive details.
Evidence for and against
- The lower bodies are described as fading into nothingness rather than simply missing.
- The figures are said to float without the jostling of walking.
- [name withheld] says their girlfriend’s separate account matched [name withheld]’s and added a rear-window near-approach.
- A dark road, night, and shadowy figures are common ghost-story elements.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive is not available in this pass, which used the transcript only.
- 0:50
- 1:09
- 2:55
What the model inferred (not said on air): The combination of fading lower bodies, smooth floating, and a claimed matching rear-window report lifts it above a stock shadow-figure sighting.
Scoring confidence 0.82 · analysis confidence 0.86 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand spoken story.; A claimed second witness whose account [name withheld] recounts, but who does not speak on air.; No photograph, recording, document, exact road, or exact date is available in the transcript.. The originality score blends the model's score (58) 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.
- Two cyclists or walkers in dark clothing could have looked like head-and-torso silhouettes on a dark road and closed the distance quickly. · [name withheld] raises bicycles and casual strollers, saying they have doubts about that explanation. [name withheld] reports no wavering or bike sound.
- Low light and silhouette effects could hide legs and make ordinary movement look smooth at a distance. · The figures are described as emerging from blackness, and the lower form is said to be hard to make out and to fade into nothingness.
- People deliberately approaching quietly could account for figures coming silently toward the parked couple. · [name withheld] describes them as coming silently and later remarks that strangers would risk the couple pulling out guns.
What stands out
The lower bodies are described as fading out rather than simply being absent, and the figures are said to close the distance without any walking motion. The story also includes a claimed matching account from the girlfriend, though she does not speak on air.
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Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.