Charles Shaw Junior

* Human
* Ghost

## Gallery

**Charles Shaw Junior**, or Charlie, is the ghost that is haunting Oscar's house. His ghost is the main malefactor of Chapter 3.

## Description

As a child, Charlie was rather kindhearted, sharing his toys with Edwardine and defending his mother when one of the miners berated her. Growing up, he became disdainful of his father due to his alcoholism and his unwillingness to let go of what the Scarlets did to their family and refusing to lead a happier life away from it. He returns to Scarlet Hollow in hopes of being reunited with Edwardine and leaving together.

As the resonant, Charlie is frequently depicted as a scratched out shade, with one glowing eye showing and a gaping mouth. His head is also caved in, reflecting how he was murdered. He controls the characters like puppets, referencing his interest in dolls and talent in puppetry as a child. Wayne describes him as "the leftovers of a human existence, festering and forgotten, feeding on the energy of more powerful beings."

## Biography

### The Ghost Hunt

Charlie haunts the Gutierrez residence. It started with the floor in Rosalina's room bleeding and a figure that Oscar couldn't quite make out, until he saw it in Rosalina's doorway, calling out a name, and then its head caved in. These events prompted Oscar to leave the house and take residence within the library.

After Stella opens the hatch leading to the Annex's basement, <insert name here> is sucked into an illusion created by Charlie, where <insert name here> views fragments of Charlie's memories with the others being controlled to play the role of people in his memories. If all possible characters are invited to the Ghost Hunt, their roles are: Stella as the Lover (Eddie), Rosalina as the Mother (Charlie's Mother), Alexis as the Mob, Kaneeka as the Witch, Zane as the Caretaker, Oscar as the Father (Charles Shaw), Avery as the Entity, and Charlie as the Presence. These names are seen if <insert name here> has the Mystical trait and is also able to channel Charlie's dialogue. Notably if <insert name here> also has the Talk to Animals trait, Gretchen will speak one line but only in barks, as Charlie is unable to speak through her properly. Her title is "Her Little Dog."

Charlie wants the crimes committed by the Scarlet blood to be answered by <insert name here> or Tabitha if she is invited to the ghost hunt. The crimes are paid by giving back the years that were taken away from Charlie due to his mother, causing <insert name here> or Tabitha to progress into middle age physically. If Charlie's demands are ignored, he will continue to haunt the Annex, as well as the library, causing the whole building to be inaccessible. If <insert name here> has the Book Smart trait, they can advocate for themselves and convince Charlie to peacefully move on.

Charlie is trying to keep Wayne out of the illusions.

### Charlie's Memories

The order of events are mixed up. This the chronological order, with the numbers representing the order in which they are experienced:

**6 (Playroom):** Charlie and Eddie are children, playing under a table. Charlie shares a puppet he made with Eddie, as she compliments his ability to move them like puppets and make voices for them. Charlie wants to become a traveling performer and suggests Eddie could come along with him. He also offers to take Eddie to see the ocean, which she has always wanted to see.
**2 (Mob):** Takes place after the Shaw Incident, with Charlie trying to pack away his belongings, particularly his dolls. His mother is scared and the mob are trying to push her and Charlie out of town and burn their house. One man from the mob who Alexis represents is rushing the two out, but is letting the two leave alive. His child had died in the accident. Rosalina and Alexis mention they felt "scared" and "angry" respectively when they played the roles of the Mother and the Mob.
**4 (Deathbed):** The caretaker informs Charlie his father doesn't have long left to live. Charles Shaw turned to alcoholism after being driven out. He urges Charlie to return to Scarlet Hollow to reveal the truth, find proof of the Scarlets' lies, and restore their legacy. Charlie's mother soon left the two, as she allegedly only married Charles for the money. Charlie is not sympathetic towards his father, but follows his request to return, though for the reason of wanting to take Eddie away from Scarlet Hollow.
**1 (Garden):** Charlie returns to Scarlet Hollow and Eddie doesn't recognize him at first. Eddie holds responsibility over the mines, as her brothers have been sent off to war, and warns him of what Enoch would do to him if he found out he returned. Charlie tells her that she was worth returning to Scarlet Hollow for and he won't leave without her.
**3 (Witch):** Charlie is approached by the Witch, who is aware of Charlie's affection for Eddie and the truth to the Shaw Incident. The Witch offers him help, saying "he needs to break the bonds holding her here. Then they can be free." She also implies that misfortune falls on people who step outside of Scarlet Hollow. She gives a map and a spell to Charlie, leading to one of the stone carvings found under the Annex. Kaneeka mentions she felt "powerful" when she was playing the role of the Witch.
**5 (Estate):** Charlie is climbing up the trellis of the Scarlet Estate and is spoken to by the Entity. The Entity informs him that it is not one of Eddie's brothers, but another victim of the Scarlets' lies. It informs Charlie that Eddie is pregnant with Charlies' child. It also warns Charlie to leave town and that he can't take Eddie with him, and also suggests moving to the beach. The Entity also knows the Witch. Eddie then appears and tells Charlie not to talk to the Entity, and is surprised that the Entity knew of her pregnancy. Avery mentions he felt "cold" when he was playing the role of the Entity.
The vision happens next chronologically, where Charlie has finally discovered the stone carving, mentioning Enoch had did something and that they can hopefully undo it. Though conflicted, Eddie then betrays Charlie and murders him, leaving his dead body in the hole he dug to find the stone carving.

In the end, neither Charlie nor Edwardine got what they wanted in their lives, and followed in the shadow of their parents.

### Symbolism

If <insert name here> has the Book Smart trait, they can notice each room is littered with symbolism. For example, goats are seen in every room and its age reflects Charlie's age at the time of the memory. The stone carving Charlie discovers also depicts a goat. Edwardine is symbolized with a unicorn and the Estate is symbolized with a castle. Further symbolism with the unicorn can be seen in Oscar's living room, where the only thing that had been tampered with was a painting of a unicorn which had fallen down.

The Witch's room suggests her untrustworthiness, with the flies on the flowers representing something sweet but actually rotten, and the poisonous flowers (Jimson weed, Monkshood, Queen Anne’s Lace or Poison Hemlock) found in the room. The plants themselves are heavily associated with witches as well as the moon.

## Trivia

* Charles's blood type is AB negative. Oscar ordered a kit online to test the blood that had seeped through the floor.
* If you go through the medical files in episode 4, it is revealed that Charles Shaw Junior is not Tabitha and your grandfather. He fathered a stillborn baby Edwardine had.