There Will Come Soft Rains (short story)

"This article is about the short story. For the poem by Sara Teasdale, see There Will Come Soft Rains."

"There Will Come Soft Rains" is a short story by science fiction author Ray Bradbury.

Plot summary

Set in August, 2026 in the city of Allendale, California, "There Will Come Soft Rains" details the daily tasks of a robotic house after its inhabitants have died in a nuclear war. The house is fully automated and sensitive to its owners and their requests and needs. Unaware of the absence of its owners, though aware of other external and internal disruptions, such as the weather and birds attempting to land on it, it continues to serve the dead family. Throughout the story, the house makes breakfast, disposes of it uneaten, and performs various domestic tasks.

Only one living thing makes an appearance in the story: the family dog, which had been slowly dying from the radiation of the nuclear war. It makes its way back to the house only to die; its corpse is then swiftly removed by the house's automated cleaning robots.

The author at one point mentions the shapes of the family's silhouettes which are permanently burned onto the side of the house (as was exemplified at Hiroshima) when they were vaporized by the radiation.

Adaptations

* In 1956, the story was made into a radio play for the "X Minus One" series. The episode is available as [http://ottolejeune.com/index.php/downloads/comments/078_there_will_come_soft_rains/ an mp3] .

* In 1962, actor Burgess Meredith recorded this story, which was released on LP by Prestige Lively Arts (30004), along with Marionettes, Inc., also by Ray Bradbury.

* In 1977, the story was made into a BBC radio play "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" using the resources of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop under the direction of Malcolm Clarke. ( [http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in5379/audio/softrains/softrains.htm] )

* In 1984, Soviet studio "Uzbekfilm" produced "There Will Come Soft Rains" as a [http://www.dailymotion.com/DublinBen/video/5452202 short animated film] ( [http://www.raybradbury.ru/video/there_will_be_soft_rains/] ).

* In 2008, a theater/dance/puppetry adaptation served as the final act of a New York Fringe Festival show named after the story. ( [http://www.softrains-theplay.com/] )

References