The Odd Family's Book of Bedtime Stories

The Locket

The locket Nick's wife, Ava, wore every day drove him nuts. It was a beautiful, silver locket attached to a green velvet ribbon around her neck. It fit perfectly and complimented her green eyes and short, black hair. A tiny key fit on a matching bracelet around her wrist. It fit into the front of the locket to both open it, and take it off, though no one had ever seen that happen.

Ava had worn that locket and key every single day since the couple had met, and that had been in third grade. They were well past that now, graying and married. They had children and a grandchild on the way. Ava had not removed the locket for anyone for any reason in all of that time. Nick had only ever seen baby pictures of her without the locket. She had worn it to their first prom, when they were married, and when she had their children. She wore it that very moment- always. She even wore it in the shower.

Nick understood the story behind the locket, and its meaning. He had asked many times. She had refused to take it off, even once, even for him. Ava's mother had struggled to raise her and her baby brother by herself. She had died when Ava was still young, leaving her only the locket. Ava had told Nick on their wedding night that her mother had been miserable when she died. She had told Ava that if things ever got too difficult to bear that she could open the locket to find relief. She had worn it herself before she had passed, though she had obviously taken it off at some point.

Nick knew it wasn't his business. His wife could wear whatever she wanted. The locket was strange though, and he had literally never seen his wife without it. It drove him insane that she wouldn't explain any more than that, not even to their children. He had to know what would happen if she took the locket off- if she would even notice.

So one night, while she slept, Nick slipped the key to the locket off of her delicate wrist. Very carefully, so as not to wake her, he slipped the key into the locket sitting just above Ava's collarbone and turned it. They key fit perfectly and the locket came undone with a satisfying click.

Then, much to his horror, Nick watched as Ava's head rolled off of her shoulders and on to the bedroom floor.