# Name this Short Science Fiction Story... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637 "2005-10-03T20:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/1 "2005-10-03T20:42:24Z")
I remember reading a short story in Jr. High English class. It was science fiction, perhaps Ray Bradbury. From my murky memory, it had no human characters in it, and I think it’s setting was a futuristic home/kitchen of some sort. It was mainly narrative, and _I think_ it was about the goings on of our technology after humankind has been wiped out. I’ll be damned if I can remember. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/2 "2005-10-03T20:44:20Z")
“There Will Come Soft Rains,” I believe. I think you are right about the author but I’ll check. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/3 "2005-10-03T20:49:11Z")
Here’s the story description from Wikipedia - Bradbury’s [_There Will Come Soft Rains_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Will_Come_Soft_Rains).This story is about a futuristic automated house that has survived a nuclear bomb detonation and continues to operate in the absence of the family which used to live there before being killed by the blast. . .The events described take place on August 4, 2026. One of the most disturbing images painted by the story is the shadow of two children playing catch with a ball permanently imprinted on the side of the house after the children were vaporized by the atomic strike. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/4 "2005-10-03T20:54:15Z")
thanks peoples! you’re the best! I tried googling, but the title just wasn’t enough to spark my memory. My sanity thanks you all. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/5 "2005-10-03T21:27:20Z")
> [@Papermache Prince](#): > > Here’s the story description from Wikipedia - > > Bradbury’s [_There Will Come Soft Rains_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Will_Come_Soft_Rains).This story is about a futuristic automated house that has survived a nuclear bomb detonation and continues to operate in the absence of the family which used to live there before being killed by the blast. . .The events described take place on August 4, 2026. One of the most disturbing images painted by the story is the shadow of two children playing catch with a ball permanently imprinted on the side of the house after the children were vaporized by the atomic strike. I thought the saddest part was when the poor family dog, injured and starving, is admitted to the house and goes crazy when it can smell the cooking on the other side of the door, dies, and is cleaned up by the household widgets. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/6 "2005-10-03T22:17:04Z")
…on googling, I found this Mrs Crimmins 7th Grade school website, which has a link to a powerpoint version of the comic version of the short story… [http://www.teaneckschools.org/schools/bf/resources/webquests/softrains/softrains.htm](http://www.teaneckschools.org/schools/bf/resources/webquests/softrains/softrains.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-this-short-science-fiction-story/324637/7 "2005-10-04T00:37:32Z")
In the early '50s there were several radio programs that did sf stories, and one of them did that one. I heard it many years after, it is a very moving adaptation.