Mystery box opened!

For all of you waiting with bated breath....you can let go now! Whoosh....! The suspense is over. The mystery box that belonged to my great grandmother (the lady holding the baby in the pic below, the baby is my mom, the other lady is my grandmother)has stayed locked for 50 plus years has finally been unlocked.
The locksmith arrived early - that in itself was to me a good omen! I mean who EVER comes on time, leave alone early, in Hyderabad?????? Then he attacked the box with a vengeance.....he brought out all his keys, big, small, round, tapered, narrow, with a hole, without a hole and methodically tried them all! After about half an hour of valiant effort, he sat back and pronounced it impossible. He said the box was so old they didn't make keys to fit them any more......! I almost cried. He must have sensed my disappointment, cos he said he would go back to his shop, scrounge around, ask his locksmith buddies and try to bring back a key which he could file down to fit the keyhole! We had been chatting all the while and I think he realized his role in the big mystery....and how many fellow bloggers are dying of curiosity.

Well, true to his word he showed up in the evening, and after finding a key to fit the keyhole, he drilled it, he sawed it, he cut it, he filed it...and then when he was satisfied, he put the key in, turned it clockwise.......it was so silent you could hear a pin drop.....we heard a little click, he asked me to lift the lid off! Voila! It opened! And this is what I saw....

OK, so I am a wee bit disappointed. I had visions of mysterious things hidden there....maybe some valuable coins, jewelry, photographs, money, letters, secret compartments....! It had none of those but it did have 4 compartments, and I am glad we got it opened. Just to have a box that is close to 100 years old, which my great grandma used is reward enough! Its in amazingly perfect shape, no scratches, sturdy hinges, brass hardware..all in good condition.
So now what shall I use it for? The locksmith fixed the key too, so it can be locked/unlocked. For now I have kept some of my silver bling bling in it...



So we can all relax now.... It sure was fun for me to have you share in my anticipation :-)