File 4: Shivers – The Butler

Shivers – The Butler

Age: 60

Description: A loyal butler devoted to his masters, wandering the halls eternally with a candle in hand.

Cause of Death: Died from exhaustion or neglect after his employers’ deaths, still awaiting new orders. Another theory, though dark, is the possibility that he committed self-harm due to his fixation on his young master Melody, whom he served. His falling for her turned to obsession, possibly turning him to end her life and his as well in a one-sided lovers' homicide.

SUBJECT DESIGNATION: Shivers – “The Butler”

CLASS: Type II Spectral Entity (Servile Residual / Potential Obsessive Poltergeist)

CONTAINMENT STATUS: Secured within Portrait Frame #005, “The Waiting Servant”

THREAT LEVEL: Moderate (Low Hostility / Emotional Instability Noted)

IDENTIFICATION

Full Name (During Life): Shivers (surname unrecorded, possibly pseudonymic title)

Apparent Age: 60

Gender: Male

Post-Mortem Appearance: A gaunt, elderly ghost wearing a butler’s uniform from the late 19th century. Carries a perpetually lit candle, its flame unaffected by air flow. Exhibits stiff posture, trembling hands, and a nervous, deferential demeanor. His voice, when recorded, manifests as a quivering whisper—constantly repeating the words “Yes, Master…”

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

Shivers served the mansion’s family for the majority of his adult life. Records recovered from household ledgers indicate a near-perfect service record spanning four decades. Even after the family’s demise, eyewitness accounts (from local urban legends predating E. Gadd’s acquisition) describe an elderly man wandering the halls at night, murmuring to unseen figures, his candle casting long, uncertain shadows.

The butler’s devotion bordered on obsession. He maintained the mansion long after its inhabitants perished, polishing empty rooms, setting phantom tables, and opening doors for guests that would never arrive. His identity became so entangled with servitude that his death did not break the cycle—his ghost continues to “serve,” awaiting orders that will never come.

However, more troubling is the discovered correlation between his service and that of Melody Pianissima, the mansion’s resident pianist. A number of recovered letters (see Appendix 005-B) suggest a fixation far beyond professional loyalty.

CAUSE OF DEATH (THEORETICAL ANALYSIS)

Two principal theories exist regarding Shivers’ death, each supported by varying degrees of spectral and historical evidence:

Neglect and Exhaustion Hypothesis: Following the sudden demise of the mansion’s family, Shivers may have refused to abandon his post, succumbing to starvation and exhaustion. His ghost’s restless pacing and muttered apologies support this notion—a servant unable to stop serving.

Obsessive Homicide-Suicide Theory: A darker but plausible scenario proposes that Shivers developed an unhealthy fixation on his young mistress, Melody Pianissima. Some psychic residue within the music room suggests shared trauma between the two entities. If this theory is correct, Shivers’s obsession may have culminated in a murder-suicide, his guilt binding his spirit to eternal service.

Spectral residue indicates high emotional imprinting, consistent with remorse and fixation—common markers of Type II entities formed through violent or guilt-ridden death.

PARANORMAL CHARACTERISTICS

Behavioral Pattern: Wanders the corridors aimlessly while clutching his candle, muttering phrases of service or apology. Responds to proximity by quickening his pace and lowering his flame defensively.

Manifestation Site: Primarily the first-floor servant corridors and storage areas, occasionally appearing near Melody’s music room.

Activity Cycle: Most active between 10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m. Displays heightened agitation when hearing piano music or the sound of glass shattering.

Notable Abilities:

Ectoplasmic Flame Conduction: Candle emits ghostly fire that reacts to emotional proximity, growing brighter in the presence of sorrow or guilt.

Auditory Projection: Whispers and footsteps precede visual manifestation by 5–10 seconds, producing localized paranoia in observers.

Servile Obsession Loop: Compelled to carry out “duties” such as lighting candles, opening doors, and polishing objects—tasks that repeat endlessly.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE

Shivers exhibits intense servitude fixation and guilt trauma, indicating a fractured post-mortem psyche. His consciousness seems caught in a paradoxical cycle: he seeks forgiveness but cannot stop reenacting the behaviors that led to his torment.

Attempts at communication have yielded limited results—he responds faintly to orders but grows distressed when addressed as an equal. Mentions of Melody Pianissima cause his flame to sputter violently, suggesting an unresolved emotional connection or a guilt complex.

Subject demonstrates moments of lucidity, occasionally uttering, “She played for me once... and then the silence came.”

NOTES FROM PROF. E. GADD

“Poor fellow couldn’t let go of his duties. I’ve seen obsessive ghosts before, but Shivers takes it to another level. The readings around his candle alone could power a toaster for a week! As for that rumor about his affection for Melody... well, the dead have their secrets, don’t they?”

— Prof. E. Gadd, Log Entry 5.04