The Open Window | Class 8 CBSE English | It So Happened
20 Aug 2023
Hector Hug Munro wrote this tale. The plot revolves around Frampton Nuttel, who suffers from anxiety. He seeks therapy in the countryside. His sister handed him letters of introduction because he didnât know anyone there. He goes to see Mrs Sappleton and meets Vera.
Vera informs him about Mrs Sappletonâs husband and two brothers being killed in a horrible accident. She also informs him that her aunt still thinks they would return, so she keeps the window open. Mrs. Sappleton also informed him that she is looking forward to their homecoming. He was startled to see three individuals emerge through the window. He dashes out of there, convinced that they are ghosts. Vera informs everyone that he left because he was afraid of dogs.
In the narrative, Frampton Nuttel, who suffers from anxiety, seeks treatment in a peaceful and quiet setting. He contacts a family member who is present. He meets Vera, a fifteen-year-old girl. She is a really calm and confident young lady. Mrs. Sappleton, her aunt, will be downstairs shortly. The letters of introduction that his sister had given him were with him. His sister warned him that he would only encounter a few people in the countryside. If he is dissatisfied there, his illness may worsen.
Vera inquired as to if he knew many individuals in the area. He told her that he didnât know anyone there. His sister, who had visited the area four years before, had given him letters of introduction to several of the locals. He stated that all he knew about her aunt was her name and address.
Vera told him that her auntâs husband and two brothers were out shooting around three years ago. She pointed to a giant window in the grass that had opened. She informed him that they had all exited via that window and never returned. They were engulfed by the damp, spongy earth, and their remains were never found.
Mrs Sappleton, she added, always leaves this window open until it gets dark in the hopes that they may return eventually. Vera occasionally believes that they will return through that window with their dog like they did previously.
Meanwhile, Mrs Sappleton arrived and apologised for being late. She said that her husband and brothers had gone bird-shooting. She informed Nuttel that she had left the window open for them to enter the home so that their dirty shoes would not ruin the carpet.
Nuttel tried to shift the subject, but she kept talking about hunting and bird shortages. He saw her gaze drawn to the window and the grass, and she was paying little attention to him. She peeked out the window and screamed that it was time for tea. Frampton shuddered with fear and turned to Vera to offer his sympathies. But, she was staring out the window, horrified.
He twisted his chair around and glanced out the window. He noticed three men with rifles heading across the yard towards the window. A brown dog was with them. Nuttel hurriedly exited the room. The guy entered via the window and inquired of Mrs Sappleton, who had hurried out of the home. He was Nuttel, she added, and he only talked about his disease. He ran as if he saw some ghosts.
Vera, on the other hand, stated that he was scared of dogs since a pack of them previously chased him into a cemetery. He spent the night in a recently dug grave with dogs all around.
The lesson âThe Open Windowâ teaches us that we should never deceive another person, and this is the moral that we take away from the experience. It is important for him or her to have sensitivity towards the requirements or conditions of a person.