When a greedy brother inherited a house and ridiculed his younger sister, who only received five rusty clocks from their grandmother, neither realized the hidden treasure those timepieces contained.
“Oh, so Grandma called you too? I thought you’d be buried in a book like the good little bookworm you are!” Brian, 26, mocked his younger sister, Linda, who had just arrived.
Fear gripped Linda as she stepped out of the taxi, her heart clinging to hope: “Grandma will be fine. She’s strong. She’ll live for many more years.”
Linda and Brian were summoned by their 90-year-old grandmother, Marlene, who had requested to see them urgently.
“My sweethearts, I need to see you one last time. I may not get another chance,” Marlene had said painfully on the phone.
When Linda entered her grandmother’s room, she noticed the dust, the unswept floor, and the moldy ceiling. Marlene, frail and unwell, couldn’t keep up with such tasks.
Linda rushed to Marlene’s side, hugging her tightly. “Grandma, don’t worry. You’re not going anywhere. You’re all we have,” she whispered, her heart breaking.
Just a year before, Linda had lived with Marlene, helping care for her until she left for college, only after much insistence from Marlene.
Brian entered the room, coughing, as if mocking the untidiness. “Geez, Grandma, didn’t you clean? It’s so dusty in here,” he said with a grin, showing little concern for her health.
Marlene, weak and pale, clasped Linda’s hand and handed them both envelopes. “This is for you both,” she said softly.
Each envelope contained $5,000. Linda’s eyes filled with tears, and she rushed out, overwhelmed. Brian, however, scoffed. “That’s it? I thought there’d be more,” he muttered, leaving without a thank you.
The following morning, Marlene was surprised to hear Linda’s voice again.
“Grandma, I’m staying,” Linda said, stepping into the room. She explained how she had saved $4,000 over the year and wanted to use it, along with the money from Marlene, to pay for her eye surgery. But Marlene, her voice heavy with emotion, told Linda it was too late for surgery.
Instead, Linda took a month off school to stay and care for her. She wanted to see her grandmother smile again. Linda used the money to repair and renovate the house, something Marlene had longed to do but never could afford. The house, once filled with memories of Marlene’s late husband, was restored to its former glory.
Marlene was overjoyed, but her time was short. A week later, she passed away peacefully, content and loved.
After the funeral, Linda and Brian were called to the lawyer’s office, where they learned about Marlene’s will. Brian was thrilled to discover he had inherited the house, while Linda was handed a box containing five old, rusty clocks. Brian laughed at her misfortune, mocking her for receiving something so seemingly worthless.
“You can keep those clocks and decorate your apartment with them,” Brian sneered, certain that he had gotten the better end of the inheritance.
Linda, heartbroken but not envious, took the clocks back to the city. Days later, while examining one of the clocks, she noticed an inscription that read, “OPEN IT!”
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