I jumped at the sound of a very loud thump and some light glass breaking. A chipsqueek started to squeal in fear and run around the room. I groaned. How in the world did it get in?
"Leonel?" Dad exclaimed worriedly, opening my bedroom door. Upon seeing the chipsqueek, his eyes held confusion. "Uh, wha-?"
"I got it, dad." I sighed in annoyance, opening a nearby window. The chipsqueek saw the opportunity and rushed out of the window.
"Leonel?" Mom said worriedly, rushing into my room and grabbing my face, examining me. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, mom." I groaned in embarrassment.
"But I heard a thump and some glass break and-!"
"A chipsqueek got in somehow." I interrupted her.
"We'll find out how it got in and patch the hole up later." Dad sighed as he and mom left my room. I sighed, looking over towards the shelves where I first saw the chipsqueek, what on earth did it knock down? Everything seemed to be intact behind the glass doors, and even the doors were fine!
I walked over to the shelves and looked around, noticing something small and dusty behind the shelves. I reached for it and pulled a very nice looking metal treasure type chest. Although it was dusty, it was white in color and embellished with pink and blue gemstones. It looked very fancy! What was this? And where did it come from?
I pulled the top part and groaned. Locked. What was in this box? I lifted it up and sat it on my desk. I rummaged through my desk's drawers, trying to find something to unlock this box; or at the very least, pry it open. I curiously examined the lock; it was very unique looking, nothing I had ever seen before. Unlocking this would probably take more skill than I thought.
A knock upon my bedroom door echoed as I jumped slightly, covering the chest with a nearby cloak.
"Ye-yeah?" I asked as my grandpa, Byron, walked in with a smile on his face.
"I've come to see if I can help you find that hole." I blushed.
"Uh, yeah! Th-thanks, grandpa! It came out around the shelf." Grandpa walked over towards the shelf.
"That's odd!" He exclaimed.
"What?" I asked as grandpa looked closely at the shelf.
"I know that I heard some glass breaking; but everything looks intact. Unless." He began to look around the shelf, and started feeling for something at the top of the shelf.
"Oh?" He asked in both worry and surprise.
"Wh-what?" I asked.
"It's gone! It's-." He looked over at me walking over towards me, my heart began to race as his hand reached for my cloak. Oh no! The chest! He pulled my cloak and revealed the box. He made a huge sigh of relief.
"There it is!" He exclaimed happily. "But, Leonel, why were you hiding it?" I blushed.
"I-I didn't know what it was and I wanted to open it." I admitted in shame, grandpa began to laugh.
"If you wanted to open it so badly, you could have asked me! I have the key!"
"Wait? This is yours?" I asked in surprise.
"No, no. Actually, it was my mother's. Wait here, I'll return in a flash!" He left my room as I turned my attention back to the chest. This was my great-grandmother's? It must be an heirloom of somesort; probably passed down from her mother and her mother before her. I heard footsteps as grandpa came back into the room with a small and unique key and a smile.
"Now, let's open this!" He exclaimed, placing the key in the lock and turning it. The chest made a few clicking sounds and popped open. I pushed it the rest of the way open as my eyes lit up. There were a lot of old trinkets and papers that probably meant a significant deal to my great-grandmother. Grandpa pulled out a portrait from the box. I looked at the young woman staring back as my eyes widened.
The woman and I really did look a lot alike. The portraits I had originally seen of my great-grandmother were of her as a child and we only had two. Grandpa told me that most of the portraits were destroyed in a fire that caused them to move to Alvarna.
"She was beautiful, wasn't she?" Grandpa asked, with tears in his eyes.
"She was." I said, before curiously looking at her outfit. She was dressed vastly well, almost like royalty!
"Uh, w-was she related to the de Sainte-Coquille family in any way?" I asked nervously as grandpa chuckled.
"No, no! However, she was from a very wealthy family!" I sighed slightly in relief; at least the girl I had a crush on and I weren't distantly related in anyway.
"Oh! This is what broke!" Grandpa exclaimed, holding up a snowglobe. I blinked curiously, looking back in the box.
"Oh? But nothing looks wet?" I asked as grandpa laughed.
"This old snowglobe had actually dried out a long time ago!" He exclaimed before closing the box, locking it back.
"We can look more at what's inside tomorrow. It's getting late and I'm sure your mother will have my head if I keep you up on a school night!" He walked to my bedroom door frame before turning his head slightly towards me.
"Good night, Leonel." He said as I smiled.
"Night, grandpa." I replied, turning the knob of my oil lamp and using my snuffer to extinguish the rest of the flame. I climbed into my bed, staring up at my ceiling. Was my appearance the reason why my grandpa was so close to me? I know he misses her and apparently he and his mother were close! He could tell her anything that bothered him and she would listen. Up until her death when dad was little. I sighed before closing my eyes, letting my dreams take over.