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English story books PDF for beginners – The Open Window By H.H. Munro (SAKI) – Free Download
This is a short and interesting story. The name of the story is “The Open Window.” The writer’s name is H.H. Munro (SAKI).
In this story, a man visits a house in the countryside. He meets a young girl. She tells him a strange story. He believes the story. But is the story true?
This story is funny and clever. It is also a little scary. You will enjoy it! Let’s begin the story…
This story was rewritten by LearnEnglish-new.com for English learners. Enjoy reading the story and improve your English skills!
The Open Window
By H.H. Munro (SAKI)
Contents
Chapter One: Framton Visits the House
Chapter Four: Vera’s Little Game
Chapter One
Framton Visits the House
Framton Nuttel goes to the countryside. He wants to rest. He is not healthy. The doctor says, “You need quiet and peace.”
Framton goes to visit a lady. Her name is Mrs. Sappleton. He has a letter from his sister.
A young girl opens the door. She is fifteen years old.
“My aunt comes soon,” she says. “Please wait here. Talk to me.”
Framton sits down. He is a little nervous. He wants to be polite.
The girl says, “Do you know people here?”
Framton says, “No. My sister stayed here four years ago. She gave me some letters.”
The girl looks at a big open window.
“You don’t know about my aunt,” she says.
Framton says, “No. I don’t know her. Only her name.”
The girl looks serious.
“Three years ago, my aunt’s husband and two brothers go hunting. They walk out through this window. They never come back.”
Framton is surprised.
“Why?” he asks.
“They go to the moor. It is very wet. They fall into the mud. The ground eats them. People can’t find them.”
She looks out the window.
“My aunt waits every day. She opens this window. She thinks they come back. She says, ‘They walk in like before.’”
Framton feels strange. He looks at the window.
Then Mrs. Sappleton comes into the room. She smiles.
“Vera talks to you?” she asks.
“Yes,” says Framton. “She is very interesting.”
Chapter Two
A Strange Story
Mrs. Sappleton sits down.
“I hope you don’t mind the open window,” she says. “My husband and brothers come home soon. They always come through the window. They are hunting now. They walk in with their muddy boots! My poor carpet!”
Framton looks at her. He feels strange. He thinks,
“Her family is dead. But she waits for them?”
Mrs. Sappleton talks about birds and hunting. She looks at the window again and again. Framton feels nervous. He thinks,
“Maybe this day is very sad for her.”
Framton wants to talk about something different.
“My doctor says I need rest,” he says. “No noise. No problems. No hard exercise.”
But Mrs. Sappleton does not listen. She looks out the window. She does not hear Framton.
Then she says, “Ah! They are coming now! Look! Just in time for tea!”
Framton looks at Vera. The girl is looking at the window. Her eyes are big. She looks scared.
Framton feels cold. He turns and looks.
He sees three men walking across the grass. They come to the window. They carry guns. One man has a white coat. A little brown dog walks behind them.
One man says, “Bertie, why do you bound?”
Framton jumps up. He is very afraid. He thinks,
“They are ghosts! They are dead men!”
He grabs his hat and stick. He runs to the door. He runs out of the house.
A man on a bicycle is on the road. Framton runs fast. The man on the bicycle falls into the hedge.
Framton does not stop. He runs far away.
Chapter Three
The Truth
The three men come into the room through the open window.
One of them wears a white coat. He says,
“Here we are, my dear. The marsh is very muddy, but we are not too wet.”
Mrs. Sappleton smiles. “Who is that man who runs away?” she asks.
“He runs like he sees a ghost!” says another man.
Mrs. Sappleton laughs.
“He is Mr. Nuttel,” she says. “He is a visitor. He talks only about his sickness. Then he runs away. He says nothing. He doesn’t say goodbye.”
The girl, Vera, looks calm. She speaks softly.
“He runs away because of the dog,” she says.
“The dog?” Mrs. Sappleton asks.
“Yes,” says Vera. “He tells me he is afraid of dogs. He has a bad memory. A long time ago, in India, a pack of dogs chases him. He hides in a grave. The dogs growl and bark. They are close. He stays there all night. Now, he is very scared of dogs.”
Mrs. Sappleton and the men look surprised.
“Oh,” they say. “Poor man!”
Vera says nothing more. She looks out the window.
Chapter Four
Vera’s Little Game
Mrs. Sappleton still thinks about Mr. Nuttel.
“Maybe he is really sick,” she says.
“Or maybe he is just very strange.”
The men sit and drink tea. The dog lies near the window.
Vera sits in her chair. She looks quiet and kind. But inside, she smiles. She likes to tell stories. She likes when people believe her.
She thinks,
“People love stories. But I love playing with stories.”
Yesterday, she tells the cook that she sleeps in a tree at night.
“Why?” the cook asks.
Vera says, “Because I have a dream. There is a man with big eyes. He walks into my room. So now, I sleep in a tree.”
The cook believes her.
Today, she tells Mr. Nuttel a new story — about the open window, the lost hunters, and the singing brother. He believes her too. He runs away.
Vera looks out the window again. The air is soft and quiet.
Yes — Vera is only fifteen, but her mind is full of stories.
She always has something new to say.
And she always says it with a very straight face.
— THE END –
The Original Version of the Story: americanliterature.com
English story books PDF for beginners
