Ouija board spirits, a ball of light, and an old man with shark-like teeth
A caller named [name withheld], from Pahrump, Nevada, tells Art Bell that at about age 17 in Houston they used a Ouija board alone and spoke with spirits, including one called [name withheld] and a dark spirit called Baal. They report a ball of light appearing near a model airplane. About three days later, they say, they saw an old man in a brown leisure suit who seemed to move instantly across the street and smiled with shark-like teeth before vanishing. The story ends with Art Bell warning against casual use of the Ouija board.
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 2010.mp3”, starting at 2:29:25). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
Caller [name withheld], introduced by Art Bell as calling from Pahrump, Nevada, says they were about 17 and had just moved to Houston, Texas, to stay with their mother when they began using a Ouija board by themselves “quite often.” Asked by Art why they would use it alone, [name withheld] says it was “an experience” and “something interesting,” and that it was [quote withheld] [name withheld] says it worked for them alone and they talked with various spirits. They report a spirit named [name withheld] who said they died in Vietnam in a helicopter that was shot down. [name withheld] asked [name withheld] to show themselves. [name withheld] directed [name withheld] to look at a model airplane on a shelf, and [name withheld] says they saw a little ball of light appear in front of the model airplane, pulsating dim and bright for about 15 seconds. [name withheld] told [name withheld] that is what spirits are made of, energy, and that what [name withheld] saw was the energy coming through. [name withheld] then describes a spirit calling itself Baal, which [name withheld] later learned was a Phoenician idol. They say Baal was dark, evil, and nasty, and popped in intermittently on the board. [name withheld] asked Baal to show itself. Baal replied, [quote withheld] About three days later, during a morning ritual of having a cigarette by stained glass windows looking toward a four-way stop, [name withheld] saw an old man in a brown leisure suit across the street who looked frail. They say they flicked their ash, looked back up, and the old man was suddenly standing at the edge of their yard, looking at them. The old man smiled, and [name withheld] says the old man’s [quote withheld] [name withheld] hid behind the wall, peeked out, and the man was gone. They ran to their room and got on the Ouija board. Baal came on, and when [name withheld] asked what that was, Baal said, [quote withheld] Art Bell then tells [name withheld] he appreciates the story but not the casual use of the Ouija board. He says he had an experience with one that he will not relate, and he warns listeners never to play with a Ouija board, calling it dangerous.
Reported events, in order
- 0:24
[name withheld] says they were about 17 and had just moved to Houston, Texas, to stay with their mom.
- 0:32
They say they used the Ouija board often by themselves and it worked.
- 1:37
The spirit [name withheld] says they died in Vietnam in a shot-down helicopter.
- 1:50
[name withheld] tells [name withheld] to look at a model airplane to see [name withheld].
- 2:05
A ball of light appears in front of the model airplane, pulsating dim and bright for about 15 seconds.
- 2:23
[name withheld] tells [name withheld] spirits are made of energy and the light was that energy showing itself.
- 2:41
[name withheld] describes the spirit Baal as dark, evil, and nasty, appearing intermittently on the board.
- 3:24
[name withheld] asks Baal to show itself. Baal says not now, later you will know me when you see me.
- 3:49
About three days later, during their morning cigarette ritual, [name withheld] sees an old man in a brown leisure suit across the street.
- 4:34
[name withheld] looks away to flick ash, looks back, and the old man is at the edge of [name withheld]’s yard.
- 4:50
The old man smiles with shark-like teeth, and [name withheld] hides.
- 4:56
[name withheld] peeks out, and the old man is gone.
- 5:03
[name withheld] gets on the Ouija board, and Baal says [quote withheld]
- 5:17
Art Bell warns against casual use of the Ouija board.
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· 0:55
[name withheld] says the Ouija board worked when they used it alone.
- observation· 2:10
[name withheld] says a ball of light appeared in front of the model airplane and pulsated.
- hearsay· 2:23
[name withheld] reports the spirit [name withheld] told [name withheld] spirits are made of energy.
- observation· 4:43
[name withheld] says the old man moved instantly from across the street to the edge of [name withheld]’s yard.
- observation· 4:50
[name withheld] says the old man smiled and his mouth opened into shark-like teeth.
- hearsay· 5:11
[name withheld] reports Baal said it was the old man.
- host statement· 5:37
Art Bell says casual use of the Ouija board is the worst thing one could do.
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, specific story with concrete details (age 17, Houston, model airplane, brown leisure suit, stained glass windows). But nobody backs it up, and the caller does not address ordinary possibilities such as ideomotor action or a misjudged movement.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand, direct witness.
- Concrete details: age 17, Houston, model airplane, brown leisure suit.
- Coherent sequence and answers to the host’s questions.
- No one backs up the story.
- The host cuts the caller off.
- Year unstated.
- Ordinary explanations not addressed.
- Who is speaking is uncertain in places.
- The transcript’s “grill” may be “grin.”
- 0:24
- 4:43
- 4:50
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects a mid-range firsthand story. The lack of any checkable year or documentation, and the easy ideomotor explanation for the board, keep it from higher bands.
Only the caller’s word. There is no physical evidence, no other witness speaks, and no documentation is examined.
Evidence for and against
- The caller’s firsthand story.
- No checkable specifics beyond a general place and age.
- No records.
- No checkable records or independent witnesses.
- 0:11
- 2:05
What the model inferred (not said on air): A score of 0 to 10 fits because the story rests entirely on the caller’s word.
The delayed threat from Baal, the old man’s instant movement, the shark-like teeth, and the unresolved ending produce a frightening, hostile tone.
Evidence for and against
- Hostile spirit.
- Threatening promise.
- Unsettling smile.
- Unresolved ending.
- Daylight setting.
- Brief encounter.
- The host cuts it short.
- No explicit unresolved aftermath beyond the caller’s statement that it still scares them.
- 3:35
- 4:50
- 5:13
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score is based on elements of the story, not on any judgment of truth.
The Ouija board and the ball of light are familiar motifs. But the combination of a promised delayed appearance and an old man whose smile becomes shark-like teeth is distinctive.
Evidence for and against
- Distinctive delayed threat and shark-teeth detail.
- Stock elements: Ouija board, spirit, ball of light.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive has not been computed, so the score is provisional.
- 2:41
- 4:50
What the model inferred (not said on air): Provisional model score. The published originality score will be computed compared with the rest of the archive.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story; Claimed Ouija board responses, not independently examined; No physical evidence or documentation. The originality score blends the model's score (55) 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 ideomotor effect: the Ouija board’s responses could be produced by the caller’s own unconscious muscle movements. · [name withheld] says they used the board alone ([quote withheld]) and that [quote withheld]
- A mistake in what the caller saw, or a lapse in attention: the old man’s apparent instant movement could be explained by the caller looking away while the man walked quickly. · [name withheld] says [quote withheld] and describes it as happening in [quote withheld]
- A dental appliance, a mask, or an unusual dental appearance could account for the “shark's teeth” detail. · The transcript gives no detail beyond the smile itself. The comparison to shark’s teeth is a visual description.
What stands out
The story combines Ouija board contact with a ball-of-light event and a later daylight sighting of an old man whose smile reveals shark-like teeth. The spirit Baal explicitly claims responsibility for the old man, fulfilling a delayed threat.
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