192. The Open Window. Saki H H Munro Story Reintroduced By P S Remesh Chandran

192

The Open Window. Saki H H Munro Story Reintroduced  

P. S. Remesh Chandran
 
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum

Article Title Image By Djedj. Graphics: Adobe SP.

Franton Nuttel visited Mrs. Sappleton's village to take rest for a few days to cure his nerve disease. He had brought a letter of introduction from his sister who four years earlier had lived with Mrs. Sappleton there. He met Mrs. Sappleton's niece Miss. Vera was then alone in the house and Mrs, Sappleton was out. Vera was very clever at making instant stories and playing tricks on people. Romance at short notice was her specialty. The story contains two of her such tricks. 

The French Window through which three people went three years before to disappear in a bog.

Her initial questioning of Nuttel revealed that he was new to the place, he did not know her aunt in person, and that he was of weak nerves and that was why he came there, to take rest for a few days to strengthen his nerves. She pointed to the open French window of the room which served also as a door, and told him about a tragedy happened in that house. Mrs. Sappleton's husband and her two younger brothers had gone out through that window three years before for shooting birds in the marsh and had not ever returned. It is said that they, along with their dog, had disappeared in the bog. The window was always kept open so that the four ghosts could return at any time, on any day. 

Yes, the ghosts of three hunters and a dog were coming to the house.

Franton was frightened. When Mrs. Sappleton returned home, coincidently, she talked about always keeping the window open, and also elaborated on shooting birds in the bog. Mr. Franton was frightened further and tried in many ways to divert the subject of the conversation from shooting and bogs, but who to listen? The calculating Vera and the unwary aunt continued the conversation on to the horror of the nerve-frayed Franton. Then Mrs. Sappleton announced that the hunters were returning. Vera looked out pretending she was trembling with trepidation. Franton felt very sorry for coming into that house. He looked through the open window and saw three hunters and a dog coming to the house. It was enough for him. He thought them to be real ghosts. He took his hat and walking stick, ran out through the front door and through the gate, hit a man, and disappeared into the darkness beyond. 

Or was she intolerant of visitors sharing her comforts, and stealing her little thunders?

Mrs. Sappleton commented that he might have seen some ghost or something to have disappeared that way without saying a word of good- bye or apology to anyone. The hunters were wondering who the man was who rushed out from their house, hit one of them, and vanished into the darkness. The resourceful Vera explained to them that it was a nerve-sick visitor and made up another story to support his frantic escape. The man was once chased by a pack of wild dogs while in India and had to spent night in a newly dug grave with those dogs howling just above him, she told. Since then he was nervous about dogs and afraid of them. It was their dog that terribly frightened him to flee! Or was Vera intolerant of visitors staying in the house, sharing her comforts, and stealing her little thunders? 

Written in: January 1991
First published on: 27 March 2020

Tags:
 

American Writers, Clever Girls, Free Student Notes, Nerve Frayed People, Quick Witted, Resourceful Girls, Saki H H Munro, Scary Stories, Short Stories Reintroduced, Surprise End Stories, The Open Window,

About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:

00. Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.

Editor of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of Swan: The Intelligent Picture Book. Born and brought up in the beautiful village of Nanniyode in the Sahya Mountain Valley in Trivandrum, in Kerala. Father British Council trained English teacher and Mother University educated. Matriculation with distinction and Pre Degree Studies in Science with National Merit Scholarship. Discontinued Diploma studies in Electronics and entered politics. Unmarried and single.

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/psremeshchandra.trivandrum
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Blog: http://sahyadribooks-remesh.blogspot.com/
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com

Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.