Sensing a deceased twin brother outside the shower curtain
[name withheld], a caller from Texas, tells Art Bell about their identical twin brother [name withheld], who the caller says took his life in December 2003. Four or five months later, while showering after work in Austin, the caller says a Smiths song came into their head. They began singing and instantly sensed [name withheld] standing just outside the shower curtain. The host suggests the experience may have been [name withheld]'s own mind providing comfort.
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 2013.mp3”, starting at 2:01:02). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, introduced by the host as [name withheld] from Texas, says the story concerns their identical twin brother, to whom the caller was extremely close. The caller reports that in December 2003 their brother took his life. In the following months, [name withheld] says, they always felt they would receive some communication from him, though they did not know how or where it might happen. Four or five months after the death, they say, they came home from a manual-labor job in Austin, Texas, sweaty and grimy, and immediately took a shower. While in the shower, they report, a song suddenly came into their head. It was by The Smiths, which they identify as [name withheld]'s favorite band of all time. They began singing in the shower. Before they got the first full line out, they say, they instantly knew their brother was not in the shower with them but was right outside the shower curtain. The caller reports knowing the elevation and distance of [name withheld]'s position and that everything about him was there. [name withheld] says the feeling was so strong that they had no need to look beyond the shower curtain for wispy smoke or a wind. The host responds that the experience sounds comforting. He says he does not know how to interpret it, but that he might interpret it as [name withheld]'s own mind doing something that provided the comfort he had wanted. The caller states no further outcome.
Reported events, in order
- 0:14
[name withheld] says the story is about their identical twin brother, to whom they were extremely close.
- 0:22
The caller reports that in December 2003 their brother took his life.
- 0:56
The caller says they always felt they would eventually receive some communication from their brother.
- 1:53
Four or five months after the death, they say they came home from work in Austin, Texas, and took a shower.
- 2:27
While showering, they report, a song came into their head, from [name withheld]'s favorite band, The Smiths.
- 2:45
The caller says they began singing in the shower.
- 3:18
Before the first full line, they say, they instantly knew their brother was right outside the shower curtain, not in the shower with them.
- 3:30
The caller reports knowing the exact elevation and distance of their brother's presence and that everything about him was there.
- 3:39
The caller says the feeling was strong enough that they did not need to look beyond the curtain for smoke or wind.
- 4:00
The host suggests he might interpret the experience as [name withheld]'s own mind providing the comfort he had wanted.
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· 0:25
[name withheld] says their identical twin brother [name withheld] took his life in December 2003.
- interpretation· 0:56
[name withheld] says they always felt they would receive some communication from their deceased brother.
- observation· 2:27
While in the shower, [name withheld] says, a song came into their head, and they identify it as coming from [name withheld]'s favorite band, The Smiths.
- observation· 3:18
[name withheld] says they instantly knew their brother was right outside the shower curtain, not in the shower with them.
- observation· 3:30
[name withheld] reports knowing the exact elevation and distance of their brother's presence.
- observation· 3:36
[name withheld] says everything about their brother was there, outside the curtain.
- host statement· 4:00
The host says he might interpret the experience as [name withheld]'s own mind providing comfort.
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 report with some concrete details. But it is not backed up by anyone else, it is brief, and an ordinary explanation based on grief and memory fits easily, as the host himself notes.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand: [name withheld] describes being in the shower personally.
- Concrete details: December 2003, Austin, Texas, four or five months later, a manual job, The Smiths.
- A coherent sequence: song, singing, sudden sense of the brother outside the curtain.
- No checkable documentation or independent witness.
- The host suggests an ordinary psychological explanation.
- The central event is entirely subjective, and no visual or physical detail is reported.
- The labels showing who is speaking are inconsistent in the transcript.
- Exact timing and some wording are unclear because of the transcription.
- 0:25
- 2:27
- 3:18
- 4:00
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score treats the story as sincere, on the transcript's terms. It discounts heavily for the lack of backing from anyone else and for the easy alternative explanation.
There is only the caller's word, though the caller gives checkable specifics such as a date, place, and band. None of these were checked in the transcript.
Evidence for and against
- A named date: December 2003.
- A named place: Austin, Texas.
- A named band: The Smiths.
- No physical evidence is claimed.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- No outside check is described.
- The names and details are unverified.
- The transcript does not show any follow-up investigation.
- 2:06
- 2:38
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score falls in the 11–25 range because checkable specifics exist but were not examined.
The story involves a deceased loved one and a sudden felt presence in a private, vulnerable setting. But the presence is not described as hostile, and the host calls it comforting.
Evidence for and against
- A deceased twin brother is said to be sensed just outside the shower curtain.
- The setting is a bathroom, a private space.
- The story includes a suicide and grief.
- No threat, harm, or malevolence is reported.
- The host describes the experience as comforting.
- The encounter is quiet and not visual.
- The caller's emotional state is not described in detail.
- The transcript ends before the caller responds fully to the host's interpretation.
- 3:28
- 4:00
What the model inferred (not said on air): The mild eeriness comes from the unexpected presence in a shower. The lack of any threat keeps the score moderate.
The frame of a visit from a deceased relative is familiar. But the specific detail of knowing the exact elevation and distance of the presence, set off by a remembered Smiths song in the shower, is distinctive.
Evidence for and against
- Specific spatial certainty about the presence outside the shower curtain.
- A song from the deceased brother's favorite band as the apparent trigger.
- A private shower setting rather than the more common bedroom or stairway haunting.
- A deceased relative sensed after death is a common ghost-story motif.
- No strange sight or physical trace is reported.
- The originality score is provisional because a comparison with the rest of the archive is not available here.
- The problems with the labels showing who is speaking make some details less certain.
- 3:30
- 3:33
What the model inferred (not said on air): The story is scored as a familiar frame with a distinctive detail rather than a stock story.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story; No physical evidence described; 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.
- The song and the sense of a presence could be an ordinary experience of grief, such as memory and expectation producing a strong felt presence. · [name withheld] says they had expected some communication from their brother and had wanted to know he still existed. The host suggests the mind may have provided comfort.
- The song could be an ordinary memory of a band associated with [name withheld], coming back during a routine shower. · [name withheld] reports that the song came into their head before they began singing, and that it was from The Smiths, which they say was [name withheld]'s favorite band.
What stands out
The story centers on a sensory certainty about a deceased person's exact position in space, without any claimed sighting. The experience is reportedly set off by a song the caller recalled in the shower. The host directly offers an ordinary, non-paranormal reading on air.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.