--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so…" description: "\"“The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so it claimed - it claimed to be a psychic energy baby, birthed in some ethereal dimension, and pulled into the p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg" --- # The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so it claimed - it… ![“The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so it claimed - it claimed to be a psychic energy baby, birthed in some ethereal dimension, and pulled into the phone by the powerful magnetism of phone signals. It remembered with perfect clarity how it came to be - remembered coalescing from the membranous…” quote by Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg) > ““The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so it claimed - it claimed to be a psychic energy baby, birthed in some ethereal dimension, and pulled into the phone by the powerful magnetism of phone signals. It remembered with perfect clarity how it came to be - remembered coalescing from the membranous surface of the world, streaked with reflected light, humming with surface tension under the pressure of emptiness underneath. The Psychic Energy Baby found form among the emanations of people's minds and the susurrus of their voices, it found flesh in the shapes of their lips and eyes made, the surprise of 'o's and the sibilations of 's's; its skin stretched taut like a soap bubble, forged from the wet sound of lips touching; its thoughts were the musky smells and the nerves twined around the transparent water balloons of the muscles like stems of toadflax, searching restlessly for every available crevice, stretching along cold rough surfaces. Its veins, tiny rivers, pumped heartbeats striking in unison, the dry dallying of billions of ventricular contractions. And it spoke, spoke endlessly, it spokes words that tasted of dark air and formic acid. It could speak long before it took it's final shape. And when it happened, when all the sounds and smells and words in the world, when all the thoughts had aligned so that it could become - then it found itself pulled into the wires, surrounded by taut copper and green and red and yellow insulation; twined and quartered among the cables, rent open by millions of voices that shouted and whispered and pleaded and threatened, interspersed with the rasping of breaths and tearing laughter. It traveled through the criss-crossing of the wires so fast that it felt itself being pulled into a needle, head spearing into the future while its feet infinitely receded into the past, until it came into a dark quiet pool of the black rotary phone, where it could reassemble itself and take stock.”” [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A surreal entity formed from electromagnetic signals and human voices becomes a phantom that navigates through wires, embodying the convergence of technology and imagination. **In simple terms:** A phantom made of signals and voices travels through phones. Key Takeaway Explore the eerie blend of tech and myth. Themes fantasy technology surrealism Mood mysterious thought‑provoking Type literary conceptual When to use this quote - digital art - science fiction writing - audio engineering Key Concepts electromagnetism psychic energy media theory Questions to Reflect On - How does this story reflect our dependence on communication tech? - What emotions does the phantom evoke? A Different Perspective The narrative may be too abstract for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Claimed Psychic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claimed-psychic-2795411/) [Ghost Claimed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-claimed-2795412/) [Psychic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychic/) [Psychic Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychic-energy-524114/) [Red and yellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-and-yellow/) [Underneath Psychic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underneath-psychic-2795413/) ## Related quotes > [The concept of psychic energy is easy for most people to imagine. 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It’s an incredibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/there-are-thousands-of-names-for-them-in-every-culture-mana-psychic/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Perhaps, in our heightened state, we pick up weak psychic energy around us, such as the angst of a teenager, for instance, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/perhaps-in-our-heightened-state-we-pick-up-weak-psychic-energy-around/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > [“Resistance knows that the more psychic energy we expend dredging and re-dredging the tired, boring injustices of our personal lives, the less juice we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-knows-that-the-more-psychic-energy-we-expend-dredging-and/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Attention is psychic energy, and like physical energy, unless we allocate some part of it to the task at hand, no work gets done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/attention-is-psychic-energy-and-like-physical-energy-unless-we/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [One of the most wicked destructive forces, psychologically speaking, is unused creative power ... If someone has a creative gift and out of laziness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-louise-von-franz/one-of-the-most-wicked-destructive-forces-psychologically-speaking-is/) [Marie-Louise von Franz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-louise-von-franz/) ## More by Ekaterina Sedia > [You know how they say the grass is always greener on the other side? It is greener, because you're not there. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/you-know-how-they-say-the-grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [The bird Gamayun was related to Alkonost and Sirin in some vague fashion-even the most casual observer would've noticed that all three of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-bird-gamayun-was-related-to-alkonost-and-sirin-in-some-vague/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“Of course I am!” Mattie stomped her foot, and the entire house shook. “Everyone should be afraid of change—people die in such times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/of-course-i-am-mattie-stomped-her-foot-and-the-entire-house-shook/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“That was the trouble with the supernatural, Vimbai thought--you didn't know what laws ruled it, and what was a coincidence and what was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/that-was-the-trouble-with-the-supernatural-vimbai-thought-you-didn-t/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“There's only so far you can push a horse before it collapses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/there-s-only-so-far-you-can-push-a-horse-before-it-collapses/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [The moment passes. There is no point in regretting irreversible decisions—one has to live with them, and we try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-moment-passes-there-is-no-point-in-regretting-irreversible/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [The spirits, he said, the souls. They are not angry at the living, they just want to help. Helping others is the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-spirits-he-said-the-souls-they-are-not-angry-at-the-living-they/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“The crows demur at first, but soon grow bold and eat. He talks to them. He tells them of all the things that bother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-crows-demur-at-first-but-soon-grow-bold-and-eat-he-talks-to-them/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“Your people are losing your jobs to your machines. You put mechanizing everything and making it efficient above your people's happiness, and you wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/your-people-are-losing-your-jobs-to-your-machines-you-put-mechanizing/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [We suddenly feel fearful and apprehensive, naked in our perishable flesh, and for just a moment we wish we could go back to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/we-suddenly-feel-fearful-and-apprehensive-naked-in-our-perishable/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“They, the women, were like the gargoyles, Mattie thought. Respected in words, but hidden from view of those who ran the city and managing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/they-the-women-were-like-the-gargoyles-mattie-thought-respected-in/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“He was still wide awake when the morning came - the light changed imperceptibly underground, with the glowtrees flaring up brightly, and the shimmer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/he-was-still-wide-awake-when-the-morning-came-the-light-changed/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“But why?" Vimbai whispered, overwhelmed with the weight of accumulated disbelief. "What is happening to us?" "Who knows?" Maya shrugged. "Who cares? Enjoy it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/but-why-vimbai-whispered-overwhelmed-with-the-weight-of-accumulated/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“Helen devises plans to become a monster herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/helen-devises-plans-to-become-a-monster-herself/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“God has a way of guiding us sometimes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/god-has-a-way-of-guiding-us-sometimes/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) [Explore all 17 Ekaterina Sedia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) ## More Psychic quotes > [If you are psychic you may see that the smiling faces aren't smiling at all, inside. You can eliminate those individuals from your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-are-psychic-you-may-see-that-the-smiling-faces-aren-t-smiling/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“His grin split even wider. “I’d love the chance to prove you wrong.” And when he did, she’d know what he was thinking. She’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-daniel/his-grin-split-even-wider-i-d-love-the-chance-to-prove-you-wrong-and/) [Sara Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-daniel/) > [“You'll do fine." "What, you're psychic now?" "Didn't you know?" he asks seriously. "Must be an aftereffect of the bond.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tera-lynn-childs/you-ll-do-fine-what-you-re-psychic-now-didn-t-you-know-he-asks/) [Tera Lynn Childs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tera-lynn-childs/) > [Clearly, I'm not psychic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/clearly-i-m-not-psychic/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [The psychic does not have much to do with channeling. 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I can tell when something's not right, sometimes, but I can't tell what it is, or when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-m-just-not-a-good-psychic-i-can-tell-when-something-s-not-right/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“Ask if you would like to,’ he said, smiling, ‘Or if you prefer, we could just sit.’    ‘But I guess you’re not just sitting.’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/ask-if-you-would-like-to-he-said-smiling-or-if-you-prefer-we-could/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) [Browse all 357 Psychic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so it claimed - it claimed to be a psychic energy baby, birthed in some ethereal dimension, and pulled into the phone by the powerful magnetism of phone signals. It remembered with perfect clarity how it came to be - remembered coalescing from the membranous surface of the world, streaked with reflected light, humming with surface tension under the pressure of emptiness underneath. The Psychic Energy Baby found form among the emanations of people's minds and the susurrus of their voices, it found flesh in the shapes of their lips and eyes made, the surprise of 'o's and the sibilations of 's's; its skin stretched taut like a soap bubble, forged from the wet sound of lips touching; its thoughts were the musky smells and the nerves twined around the transparent water balloons of the muscles like stems of toadflax, searching restlessly for every available crevice, stretching along cold rough surfaces. Its veins, tiny rivers, pumped heartbeats striking in unison, the dry dallying of billions of ventricular contractions. And it spoke, spoke endlessly, it spokes words that tasted of dark air and formic acid. It could speak long before it took it's final shape. And when it happened, when all the sounds and smells and words in the world, when all the thoughts had aligned so that it could become - then it found itself pulled into the wires, surrounded by taut copper and green and red and yellow insulation; twined and quartered among the cables, rent open by millions of voices that shouted and whispered and pleaded and threatened, interspersed with the rasping of breaths and tearing laughter. It traveled through the criss-crossing of the wires so fast that it felt itself being pulled into a needle, head spearing into the future while its feet infinitely receded into the past, until it came into a dark quiet pool of the black rotary phone, where it could reassemble itself and take stock.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ekaterina Sedia" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-it-claimed-it-claimed-to-be-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Psychic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-it-claimed-it-claimed-to-be-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/140/ekaterina-sedia-30629_psychic_the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-i_1899686.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ghost was not a ghost at all, or so it claimed - it claimed to be a psychic energy baby, birthed in some…” — Ekaterina Sedia", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ekaterina Sedia", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The ghost was not a ghost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-it-claimed-it-claimed-to-be-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-ghost-was-not-a-ghost-at-all-or-so-it-claimed-it-claimed-to-be-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```