THE OPEN WINDOW

Screenplay by

Karen Agabekyan

Based on the short story by

Saki

6926 Firmament Ave, Van Nuys, CA, 91406

323-944-2222
agabekyankarenflims@gmail.com
FADE IN:

EXT. FRAMPTON’S CAR ON SAPPLETON’S PROPERTY - DAY

FRAMPTON NUTTEL drives onto the property of MRS SAPPLETON. As
he drives in he looks up anxiously, through the car window,
and sees the niece peering down at the car through a curtain
on the top floor.
CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - DAY

The NIECE opens the front door and welcomes Frampton into the
house and encourages him to sit down when entering the dining
room. He notices his surroundings by looking around. There is
a great fireplace that has not been lit, from the looks of
it, for a while. The great oak table surrounded by matching
oak chairs seemed to be perfectly laid out. He hardly notices
the open window. The niece announces:
NIECE
My aunt will be down presently, Mr
Nuttel.
When he sits down she asks him a set of questions while she
is standing over him. Frampton replies awkwardly to all of
the questions that he is being asked as he feels quite
intimidated by the way she has to look down on him.
NIECE (CONT'D)
Do you know many people around
here?
FRAMPTON
Hardly a soul. My sister gave me a
letter of instructions to some of
the people here.
NIECE
(curiously wondering why
she is asking him these
irrelevant questions)
So then you know practically
nothing about my aunt?
FRAMPTON
Only her name and address.
 2.

NIECE
(sadly)
Her great tragedy happened just
three years ago.
FRAMPTON
Her tragedy?
NIECE
You may wonder why we keep that
window wide open on an October
afternoon.
(niece points to the large
French window that opens
to the lawn)
CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM – DAY (ALSO DINING ROOM – NIGHT)

The French window is wide open and looks out over the lawn.
FRAMPTON
(xonfused)
It is quite warm for this time of
year but has the window got
anything to do with the tragedy?
The niece smiles sadly before starting her story. She seems
to be comforting Frampton as if he is the one that had
experienced the tragedy. He looks up at her waiting for her
to inform him of the incident.
NIECE
(slow and dramatic)
Out through that window, three
years ago to a day, her husband and
her two young brothers went of to
their day’s shooting...
Throughout the time that the story is being told there is a
flashback from a dark, windy night. Mrs Sappleton walks
slowly towards the doors in her night gown with tears leaking
down her face. She stands at the window... The light wind is
causing the curtains to blow inwards into the house. She
stares out into the night sky, with no emotion shown on her
face… just hope.
NIECE (CONT'D)
(continues)
They never came back. Their bodies
were never recovered; that was the
dreadful part of it.
(MORE)
 3.
NIECE (CONT'D)
Poor aunt thinks that they will
come back some day, they and the
little brown spaniel that was lost
with them, and walk in at that
window just as they used to
shouting ‘Bertie, why do you
bound?’.
(the story is interrupted
by the niece’s sobs she
has her face in her hands
and is looking down to
the floor)
The flashback finishes with just a
view of the open window. Frampton
sits up halfway as if he considers
whether or not to comfort her.
NIECE (CONT'D)
No, I’m fine…
(she straightens up and
continues her story)
That is why the window is kept open
every evening till it is quite
dusk...
CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - DAY

The niece’s facial expression changes to a glare and her
piercing eyes slice straight through Frampton.
NIECE
(continues menacingly)
Do you know, sometimes on still,
quiet evenings like this, I almost
get a creepy feeling that they will
walk in through that window –
(the speech was
interrupted)
Mrs Sappleton bustles into the room
and her apologies break the eerie
atmosphere. The niece’s head snaps
around in a second of surprise. Mrs
Sappleton repeatedly apologises for
her late appearance.
MRS SAPPLETON
(apologetically)
Please forgive me, I have been
quite busy recently and I was not
expecting any visitors!
 4.

Frampton stands up to greet her fully aware of the niece’s

presence behind him. He smiles at Mrs Sappleton in a way to
say that she has nothing to apologise for.
All three of them are standing up facing each other, standing
on either side of the window. Frampton feels as if the window
is dividing them into two groups as the aunt is not aware of
his knowledge of the window. He feels out of place and as if
he is intruding in her personal business and therefore he
stands awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his
hands.Eventually he put his hands in his pocket.
Frampton faces the window, with the niece still behind him
and Mrs Sappleton faced them but constantly had the corner of
her eye towards the window.
Frampton feels extremely awkward as the aunt starts to talk
about her family and the open window as if nothing had ever
happened.
MRS SAPPLETON (CONT'D)
(happily)
I hope you don’t mind the open
window, my husband and brothers
will be home directly from
shooting, and they always come in
this way. They’ve been out for a
snipe today, so they’ll make a fine
mess on my poor carpets.
Frampton feels uncomfortable and looks around to avoid
catching Mrs Sappleton’s eyes. He feels the niece shuffling
behind him which makes him feel even more uncomfortable; as
if he knows too much. She has a slight smirk on her face,
which can be seen behind Frampton’s shoulder, when the aunt
mentions the family.
Frampton makes a desperate attempt to change the subject and
he starts to talk about himself and his conditions in order
to ease the tension. Mrs Sappleton is looking out of the
window and out into the distance as if she is in a daydream.
Frampton doesn’t notice the lack of attention from his host
and carries on speaking. The niece is out of view.
FRAMPTON
The doctors agree in ordering me
complete rest, an absence of mental
excitement… Oh and the avoidance of
anything in the nature of violent
physical exercise…
(MORE)
 5.
FRAMPTON (CONT'D)
(he trails of his sentence
as he realises that not
even a fragment of the
aunt’s attention is on
him and their
conversation)
Mrs Sappleton’s eyes were out in
the distance waiting for the return
of her ‘long lost’ family. Frampton
doesn’t say a word as he does not
want to interfere in her thoughts.
He sits there uncomfortably waiting
for the aunt to speak. As she does
not say a word he looks around for
the niece in order to help him in
his situation. Mrs Sappleton
suddenly shakes her head as if to
snap out of a trance and looks up
at Frampton in surprise.
MRS SAPPLETON
(apologetic)
I’m so sorry! I was listening to
you but my mind seems to be
elsewhere today.
At this point the aunt is not looking towards the window but
towards Frampton who is facing the window.
FRAMPTON
It’s fine… really…
(trails off as he looks
past the aunt and into
the distance outside the
window)
The aunt goes out of focus and he
concentrates on something moving in
the background. He sees three tall
figures and the shape of a dog. He
starts to panic and does not
believe what he’s seeing until they
start to get closer and closer.
His eyes show extreme fear as he looks around for the niece.
His eyes are wide open with shock and beads of sweat start to
stream down his forehead.
He looks over to the niece to see her reaction in hope for
reassurance. When he looks at her she is staring at the same
three figures as he is with her eyes wide open with fear and,
what seems to be, in a state of shock. Mrs Sappleton seems to
notice what they are looking at and turns around. Her voice
can be heard in the background…
 6.

MRS SAPPLETON
(happily)
Here they are at last! Just in time
for tea and don’t they look as if
they were muddy up to the eyes!
Mrs Sappleton stands by the window looking out at the family
happily. Frampton hears an echo in his head repeating and
getting louder by every step closer the three figures took.
FIGURES
(echoes)
Bertie, why do you bound. Bertie,
why do you bound! BERTIE, WHY DO
YOU BOUND!
Frampton stands frozen with the echoes of the voices pounding
his brain.
CUT TO:

EXT. SAPPLETON’S LAWN - DAY

Frampton turns to run out of the house through the window. He
runs towards the camera and the niece and the aunt are in the
background, looking at him, confused at his reaction to
seeing the other members of the family. Frampton runs as fast
as he possibly can in the opposite direction to the three
figures still in shock horror.
CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD - DAY

He runs down the path as fast as he can to get as far away
from the creepy house as soon as he possibly can. In his
drastic attempt he stumbles a few times and even falls to the
ground at one point after colliding with an unknown cyclist.
He looks behind him in case he is being followed by the
‘ghostly’ figures and rushes to get up in order to carry on
running. He runs out into the distance without stopping to
look behind him even once.
CUT TO:

INT. DINING ROOM - DAY

The aunt is looking out into the distance in the direction of
where Frampton ran with her arms open with confusion. The
husband and brothers look over their shoulders in the
direction of which Frampton ran also looking confused.
 7.

HUSBAND
Here we are, my dear…
(curiously)
Who was that man that bolted out as
we came?
They all walk back into the house as Mrs Sappleton turns to
answer the question that she had just been asked.
The aunt stands to answer the question with the niece behind
her out of view. She replies to her husband while walking out
of view of the camera.
MRS SAPPLETON
An extraordinary man, a Mr Nuttel.
Could only talk about his illnesses
and dashed off without a word of
goodbye when you arrived. One would
have thought he had seen a ghost.
NIECE
(still smirking
devilishly)
I expect it was the spaniel. He
told me he had a horror of dogs. He
once went to a cemetery somewhere
in the banks of the Ganges where a
pack of pariah dogs attacked him.
He had to spend the night in a
newly dug grave with the creatures
snarling and grinning just above
him; enough to make anyone lose
their nerve.
FADE TO BLACK.