Timmy wanted to know what exactly Grandma was keeping in the locked chest in his room. He was six years old, why wouldn’t Grandma open it for him? He wasn’t a baby anymore, even though Grandma still called him that sometimes. Timmy had waited long enough.
One day, after the bus dropped Timmy off at his house, he was finally given some hope on seeing the contents of the chest. Grandma waited at the door as he came in.
“Hi, sweetie. How was school?” Grandma asked.
“I dunno.”
“Did you learn anything?”
“Well, we learned math.”
“Yeah? That’s good. Are you hungry?”
“Not now, Grandma.”
“Okay, Timmy.” Grandma went onto the porch to read her book. Timmy went up to his room and played with action figures. He placed a set of soldiers on the floor in a triangular formation. Across from the soldiers he put a dinosaur and a robot.
Timmy’s walls were painted like a field with grass and the sky, so he could be wherever he wanted to be on the battlefield. Timmy imagined that the action figures were alive. They were about to fight. He was the commander for the soldiers, and he was determined to beat the dino-robots.
“Attack!” Timmy ordered his troops. He lifted the front-most soldier and hit him against the T-rex. “Come help, soldier!” Timmy moved another soldier to fight the T-rex. Together they knocked it over and went to fight the robot.
Eventually the robot had been killed, and the soldiers were prosperous. Timmy got bored with playing war. He opened his closet and marveled at the large chest like he did nearly everyday. It was just like a pirate chest in the movies. Timmy wondered if Grandma was once a pirate and the chest had all of her loot in it. He so badly wanted to open it and find gold coins and amulets and crowns encrusted with precious gems.
There was one small keyhole in the middle of the chest surrounded by a gold plate. Timmy had tried many times to stick objects in the keyhole, but none of them worked. The chest was all brown, and the front had fancy designs carved into it. Centered in these designs was a ladybug etching, so Timmy called this chest Ladybug Chest.
Outside, Grandma smiled while she read. Timmy swung the door open.
“Grandma?”
“Yes, Timmy?”
“Can you pleeeease open Ladybug Chest?”
“I’ve told you many times before, sweetie. That chest can’t be opened, yet.”
“But Grandma you’re so old. What if you die before I ever get to see what’s in it?”
“Trust me, Timmy, you will see before I die. I know what I am doing.”
Timmy grunted. Why does it matter when the chest is opened if he’s going to see it sometime anyways? Grandma just didn’t get it, she did not know what she was doing. “Can you at least give me a hint?”
Grandma put down her book. She gently grabbed Timmy’s hand and pulled him closer to her. “I’ll tell you something that might make you happier, Timmy.”
“What? Are you going to open Ladybug Chest now?”
“No… but your birthday is in two days, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, on your birthday I will open the chest for you.”
“Really?” Timmy’s face lifted.
“I promise.”
“Thank you thank you thank you! I love you, Grandma, thank you!” Timmy hugged Grandma and sprung into the house and up to his room.
Timmy collapsed on his bed. He looked at the chest and thought, I finally get to see what’s in you. He hoped that the next two days would quickly go by and it could be his birthday.
That night, Timmy fell asleep smiling. The first thing he did when he woke up was watch the chest. At school he thought about it during class. He didn’t even play with his action figures when he got home. He thought of all the possible things that could be in the chest.
If his first theory was correct, then Grandma might give him all her gold and he would be rich! Maybe Grandma was hiding an alien in the chest that she fed at night when he slept. Maybe it just had a huge pile of action figures! Or maybe magic potions that could turn him into mythical beasts! Or maybe a book of spells! Or maybe chocolate! Timmy loved chocolate.
The anticipation wouldn’t let Timmy sleep. He couldn’t get some shuteye until ten o’clock, which was far past his bedtime. But he was happy, for he knew that on the next day Ladybug Chest would be unlocked, and its secrets revealed to him finally.
Like on a Christmas morning, Timmy awoke nice and early. He hopped out of bed and barged into Grandma’s room.
“Grandma!” he shouted. “Wake uuuup!” He pushed lightly on Grandma’s shoulder.
Grandma yawned and turned on her side, facing away from Timmy.
“Come on! I’m turning seven today!” Timmy started taking the curlers out of Grandma’s hair. He knew she hated when he did that.
Grandma moved his hand away. “Okay, okay! I’m going to get up.” She stretched and slid her legs off the bed while Timmy waited beside her.
Timmy said, “You move like a slug, Grandma! I got up right on time!”
“Don’t pressure me, Timmy. After all, who has the key to Ladybug Chest?”
Timmy grumbled, “You do.”
“That’s right. Now let me get some coffee and then I’ll open up the chest.” Grandma clumped her feet out of the room and downstairs. Timmy sighed, but he was still happy because he knew what was to come. He went back to his room and sat on his bed.
Timmy listened to the liquid pouring into the mug for Grandma’s coffee. He counted every moment. He heard the last drops plup-plup-plup into the mug. He heard Grandma’s footsteps approach the stairs. Then she climbed them. Grandma went past his room. Timmy followed.
“Grandma you said you were just getting coffee and then you would open the chest!”
Grandma nearly spilled her coffee. “Oh goodness, Timmy, you scared me. I’m going to open it—just let me get the key. It’s hidden in my room.”
“Why can’t I see where you’re hiding it?” Timmy demanded.
“If I show you, then the chest won’t open,” Grandma said.
Timmy didn’t get it, but he didn’t want to risk not opening the chest. “Okay.” He went to the closet and wrapped his arms around the chest out of excitement. Grandma came into the room with an ancient ornate key. She scooched Timmy aside and fit the key into the hole.
“What do you think’s in here?” Grandma asked him.
“Treasure!”
Grandma made a “hm” noise. She turned the key.
“Come on, Grandma, just open it already.”
“Be patient, Timmy.” Timmy hyperventilated. He licked his lips over and grinned from ear to ear.
“Ready?” Grandma asked.
“Yes!”
“One…”
Together they finished, “two… three!”
Timmy almost cheered with joy, but then his face changed; his smile subsided and his eyebrows rumpled. It took a moment for him to comprehend what he was seeing.
Timmy jumped up and yelled, “NO!” He ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He wailed so loudly that Grandma had to plug her ears. “I hate you, Grandma! I hate you and that stupid chest!”
Grandma stood behind the bathroom door. She tried to ask over Timmy’s screams, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
Between sobs, Timmy yelled, “You… know… why!” Timmy’s nose stuffed up and his words became nasally. “You… tricked… me!”
“Why would I try to trick you?”
“Because… inside chess… you… you… there was… chess… you… stop!”
“I’m sorry, Timmy. I can’t understand you. It’s all mumbles.”
“Go away!”
“Why don’t you let me in, alright? I’ll explain everything to you.”
Timmy unlocked the door. “Just… open!” Grandma saw Timmy huddled behind the door. His face was completely red and streaked with moisture. His eyes were squeezed into slits, and his mouth was curled down.
Grandma said nothing until he began to calm down, and his screams faded into deep heaves.
“Are you okay now, Timmy?”
“No!”
“Can we talk?”
Timmy didn’t respond.
Grandma asked, “Did you expect something special to be in the chest?”
“Why would you keep it locked for so long if the only thing in it was another locked chest?”
“I will explain why. Each chest contains another locked chest that gets smaller until you reach the last chest which has something special in it. For your birthday every year, I will open another chest. Eventually you’ll get to see what’s inside, and you will know what to do with it.”
Timmy thought about that. “But why can’t we open all of them now?”
“We can’t open it now because the special item inside will only be special if it’s opened at a certain time. If we open it now it won’t be special—it will be useless.”
Timmy began to understand. “Okay.”
“Now, why don’t we go downstairs and eat some cake?”
Timmy smiled. “Okay, Grandma.” They celebrated Timmy’s birthday with chocolate cake and presents.
Grandma tried her best to keep her only grandchild happy. She knew she was the only guardian he had. Timmy’s disappointment after seeing the chest made her so sad that she went and bought him all the toys he wanted. Timmy forgot about the chest.
Another year went by, and Timmy was excited again for Grandma to unlock the next chest. Even though she told him what would be in it, he was still let down to see yet another locked chest.
Timmy was less excited for his ninth birthday. He remained impartial when Grandma opened the next chest.
As the years went by, the chests got smaller. Timmy hoped each time that when Grandma lifted open the top he’d see something other than a wooden box with a ladybug carved into it, yet each time the reveal was no different.
When Timmy was going to turn twelve, something unfortunate happened.
Grandma woke up before Timmy. She waited downstairs with balloons. He came down and she said, “Happy birthday, Timmy!”
“Thanks, Grandma,” he said.
“I cannot believe you’re already twelve.” Grandma gave him a fake smile. She walked upstairs into her room.
Timmy waited for Grandma to get the key for the next chest. He went to his room.
He waited.
Grandma did not come.
He wasn’t supposed to see where Grandma hid the keys but usually she didn’t take so long.
He peeked around her door.
Grandma was on the floor.
“Grandma!” Timmy kneeled beside her. “Can you hear me? Grandma?” He put his hand over her nose. No stream of air blew onto his palm. “What happened?!” Timmy shook Grandma’s shoulders. She did not awaken. “Grandma! You can’t be dead!” He put his head on her chest. He heard no beat. He kept his head there. A drop of liquid fell from his cheek and stained her floral dress. “Grandma, please.” The stain grew and spread.
He lifted his head. Grandma’s hand was clasped around a key. It was his birthday.
He uncurled Grandma’s fingers and took the key from her hand. He wiped his face with his sleeve and went to his room. He sat in front of the small chest.
He was ready.
The keyhole filled with the metal of the key. It turned and clicked. Timmy opened the chest.
Timmy sat still. Somehow he wasn’t surprised by what he found in the chest.
He put his hands around the human heart that had been encased. It was the color of ladybugs.
Timmy went to the kitchen and  held the heart in one hand as he grabbed a knife with the other.
He went to where Grandma’s motionless body lay.
Timmy put the heart next to her. He wrapped both of his hands around the knife. He pushed it down into Grandma’s chest and sawed through her ribs.
Once he had cut a circle around where Grandma’s heart was, he pulled out the pieces of skin, fibers of muscle, and broken bone. The top of her dress turned red. Inside of her chest, Grandma’s heart was missing.
Timmy placed the heart from Ladybug Chest inside of Grandma’s empty cavity.
He waited.
The heart began to beat.
Grandma’s eyes batted opened. Her lungs inflated.
Grandma sat up. She put her hand over her chest, her Ladybug Chest, then smiled, and Timmy smiled back.
“Thank you, sweetie,” Grandma said.
Timmy went back to his room to get the key. His hands were all red.
When Timmy opened his closet, all of the chests were locked again.