The Open Window

• Written by Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), a British writer
• Characters:
  • Vera, 15-year-old self-possessed young girl
  • Framton Nuttel, a man having some neurological illness
  • Mrs Sappleton
  • Mr Sappleton, and his two brothers-in-law
• Theme: playing an amusing trick on others

Summary of the Story

This story is about a self-possessed (self-confident) 15-year-old girl named Vera, who plays an amusing trick on a man named Framton Nuttel, who suffers from a nerve-related illness. Following his doctor and his sister’s advice, Framton travels to a village to recover. Since he knows no one there, his sister provides him with letters of introduction addressed to acquaintances in the village. Carrying one such letter, Framton visits Mrs. Sappleton, Vera’s aunt.

When he arrives, Mrs. Sappleton is not at home, and Vera seizes the opportunity to entertain herself by engaging in conversation with the visitor. Upon learning that Framton is unfamiliar with anyone in the village, including her aunt, she fabricates a tragic story to frighten him for amusement. She tells him that three years ago, Mrs. Sappleton’s husband, along with her two brothers and their dog, went to the marshes for a shooting trip but were swallowed by a bog. Since their bodies were never found, Mrs. Sappleton still holds out hope that they will return one day. As a result, she keeps a large window in the house wide open until dusk, as it was through this very window that the men used to enter the house before they disappeared. However, this entire story is a lie.

Shortly after, Mrs. Sappleton returns home, and Framton introduces himself. As they converse, she casually mentions that her husband and brothers are out shooting in the marshes and will be returning in the evening, entering through the open window. This statement reinforces Framton’s belief in Vera’s tale, and he begins to feel increasingly uneasy. He attempts to change the subject, but Mrs. Sappleton is distracted, frequently glancing out of the window in anticipation of her family’s return. When Mr. Sappleton and his brothers-in-law actually arrive and are seen approaching the house through the window, Framton, convinced they are ghosts, becomes overwhelmed with terror and flees the house in panic.

Perplexed by his sudden departure, Mr. Sappleton asks who the man was and why he ran off so abruptly. Without hesitation, Vera concocts another elaborate lie, explaining that Framton fled upon seeing the spaniel, as he has a deep-seated fear of dogs. She says that, years ago, he was once chased by a pack of stray dogs and, to escape, had to spend the night in a freshly dug grave while the snarling, foaming dogs circled above him.