Rake-like scratches on the caller’s body in a duplex, ending after they moved out
A caller who gives their name as [name withheld], from Tacoma, Washington, tells Art Bell that roughly 20 years earlier, while sharing a duplex with a friend, they began finding four parallel, rake-like scratches on soft parts of their body, including behind their neck. They say the marks appeared at any time of day, were barely felt when they occurred, sometimes nearly drew blood, and stopped after they moved out of the duplex. They say they did not know what to call it until other people later described them as having been [quote withheld]
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 2007.mp3”, starting at 8:49). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Tacoma, Washington, says they want to tell [quote withheld] from about 20 years earlier, which they also place in the early 1980s, when they were living in a duplex with a friend. [name withheld] says that [quote withheld] they started getting scratches on soft parts of their body, such as under their legs and their calves. The host asks whether the marks were wide or like cat scratches. [name withheld] says there were [quote withheld] that looked like rakes, and describes them as nail-like scratches that would almost reach the point of blood and then go away. [name withheld] says friends joked that a girlfriend must have scratched them. [name withheld] says their father, whom [name withheld] describes as being in the medical field, suggested it was [quote withheld] [name withheld] says what made them think more about it was a television show with a narrator they associate with Spock, which showed a similar incident involving a man in Boston. Asked whether they felt the scratches happen, [name withheld] says only [quote withheld] Asked whether the scratches occurred while [name withheld] slept, [name withheld] says they could occur at any time. For example, while [name withheld] and others were sitting around watching MTV, [name withheld] would say “hey, look, guys,” pull down their shirt, and show rake marks behind their neck. [name withheld] says that when they moved out of the duplex the scratches went away. Years later people told [name withheld] that [name withheld] had been [quote withheld] a term [name withheld] says they did not know until they began listening to the host’s program. The host closes by summing up the report as human-looking scratches appearing suddenly on the body, barely felt when they occur but turning up as big welts.
Reported events, in order
- 0:04
The caller introduces themselves as [name withheld] and says they are from Tacoma, Washington.
- 0:08
They say that about 20 years earlier, living with a friend in a duplex, they began getting scratches on the soft parts of their body, such as their legs and calves.
- 0:33
Asked about the marks, they describe at least four rake-like nail scratches. Friends joke that a girlfriend scratched them.
- 0:49
They say their father, who they say was in the medical field, suggested it was [quote withheld]
- 1:02
They say a television show with a narrator they associate with Spock showed a similar incident involving a man in Boston, which made them think about it more.
- 1:14
They describe the marks as nail scratches that would nearly come to blood and then go away.
- 1:30
They say they felt the scratches only [quote withheld]
- 1:37
They say the scratches could occur at any time, not only in sleep, and give an example of showing rake marks behind their neck while the group was watching MTV.
- 2:06
They say that when they moved out of the duplex the scratches stopped.
- 2:10
They say people later told them they had been [quote withheld] a term they say they did not know before listening to the host’s show.
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· 0:21
Scratches began appearing on the soft parts of the caller’s body while they were living in a duplex with a friend.
- observation· 0:33
The marks looked like at least four parallel, rake-like nail scratches.
- observation· 1:14
The scratches would almost reach the point of blood and then go away.
- observation· 1:30
The caller felt the scratches happen only very vaguely.
- observation· 1:37
The scratches could occur at any time, including while the caller was awake and watching television.
- observation· 1:48
Rake marks appeared behind the caller’s neck, which they showed to others present.
- observation· 2:06
The scratches stopped after the caller moved out of the duplex.
- hearsay· 0:38
Friends joked that a girlfriend had scratched them.
- hearsay· 0:49
The caller’s father, described as being in the medical field, suggested it was probably psoriasis.
- hearsay· 1:57
A television show showed a similar incident involving a man in Boston.
- hearsay· 2:10
People later told the caller they had been a victim of “a stigmata.”
- host statement· 2:43
The host describes the story as human-looking scratches appearing suddenly on the body, barely felt but turning up as big welts.
- host statement· 2:49
The host states the marks were barely felt when they occurred but then appeared as big welts.
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 short but internally coherent first-person story given directly by the person who says it happened to them, with a definite era and setting. It lacks details that can be checked. An ordinary skin-related explanation is both plausible and raised within the story itself.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand telling, not relayed through another person: “these scratches.”
- Concrete sequence and setting: living with a friend in a duplex [quote withheld] early 1980s.
- Specific description of the marks: [quote withheld]; [quote withheld]
- Consistent answers to the host’s questions about sensation and timing.
- No address, month, date, or other detail that can be checked independently.
- An ordinary explanation was offered inside the story itself and left unaddressed: [quote withheld]
- The story is brief, and the marks themselves were not examined or documented.
- The labels showing who is speaking in the transcript are unreliable for two lines, where a host question seems to be labeled as the caller.
- The lines describing the marks are awkwardly transcribed ([quote withheld]), so the exact description is uncertain.
- 0:08
- 0:33
- 1:37
- 2:06
What the model inferred (not said on air): Component scores: closeness to the source 19 (firsthand but brief and partial); specificity 11 (era and marks described, but nothing checkable that identifies the event); internal consistency 14 (coherent, though [quote withheld] and “early 80s” do not line up exactly); alternative explanations 6 (a skin-related cause is plausible and was raised by the caller’s father); calibration 8 (the caller admits uncertainty about what it was and presents “stigmata” as other people’s word, but does not engage with the ordinary suggestion).
Nothing in the story can be checked, and no physical evidence is claimed. The only supporting element is the claim that friends saw the marks, which is a claimed witness, not independent backing.
Evidence for and against
- The caller says others were present when they showed the marks: [quote withheld]
- The caller gives a rough date and a general place: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- No photograph, recording, medical record, or document is mentioned.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- The marks were said to fade, so nothing physical remained to examine.
- It is unclear how many people actually saw the marks or in what circumstances.
- 1:48
- 0:05
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed in the 11 to 25 band because claimed witnesses and rough date and place details exist but nothing is verified.
Unexplained rake marks appearing on one’s own body, nearly to the point of blood, are moderately unsettling. But there is no threatening presence and no escalation, and the story ends with the events stopping.
Evidence for and against
- Four parallel scratches appearing on soft parts of the body and behind the neck.
- Marks reported to almost reach the point of bleeding.
- No explanation is offered within the story beyond other people’s “stigmata” remark.
- The marks hurt only [quote withheld]
- The story ends with the events stopping after a move.
- Friends’ joking about a girlfriend lightens the tone.
- How often this happened and for how long while the caller lived in the duplex is not stated, so the intensity of the experience cannot be judged.
- 1:14
- 2:10
What the model inferred (not said on air): Rated in the middle of the range: a strange event focused on the body, but with no ill will, no threat to the caller, and a settled ending.
Provisional. The frame, unexplained activity in a shared home that ends on moving out, is familiar. But the specific event (four rake-like scratches appearing on the caller’s own skin, felt only vaguely, later labeled by others as a stigmata) is a distinctive variation.
Evidence for and against
- An unusual focus on marks on the caller’s body rather than a seen figure.
- The distinctive detail that the caller felt them only vaguely while they appeared.
- The “stigmata” label is attached by other people, not the caller.
- Stories of scratches and unexplained marks are a recurring ghost-story element.
- The [quote withheld] ending is a common way for such stories to resolve.
- Novelty compared with the rest of the archive cannot be judged from a single transcript.
- The show the caller compares it to is unidentified, so no comparison can be judged.
- 0:33
- 1:30
What the model inferred (not said on air): The model score is estimated from content at about 58. The published score would be a weighted blend with how rare the story is in the archive, dominated by the model value while the archive is small.
Scoring confidence 0.55 · analysis confidence 0.65 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story only; Claimed witnesses present in the duplex who are said to have seen the marks, but none speaks on air; No photograph, recording, medical record, or document mentioned or examined. 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.
- A skin condition that marks easily when scratched. · The caller reports that their father, who they say was in the medical field, suggested [quote withheld] The caller gives no medical follow-up and does not rule this out.
- Scratching by the caller, possibly during sleep or without noticing. · The host asks [quote withheld] and the caller says they felt the marks only [quote withheld] This is weakened by their statement that they [quote withheld] including while awake.
- Marks made by another person, as a joke or otherwise. · Friends joked [quote withheld] The caller treats this as a joke and offers no evidence either way.
What stands out
The story concerns marks on the caller’s own body rather than a seen figure. The striking term “stigmata” is something other people said about the caller, not the caller’s own explanation. The caller also ties the events to a specific home by saying they stopped when they moved out.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.