# SF story: "Whatever happened to the…"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 21, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682 "2012-11-21T03:06:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682/1 "2012-11-21T03:06:20Z")

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My wife is trying to recall the title of a story. A suburban house becomes overgrown with vegetation, and eventually we learn that the people living in it became plants. She remembers the story, but not the title.

The title contains the name of the family in question. It’s “Whatever Happened to the Andersons?” or “Whatever Happened to the Robinsons?” or something like that.

Can anyone help?

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682/2 "2012-11-21T03:43:40Z")

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Huh. Kind of reminds me of “There Will Come Soft Rains” from _The Martian Chronicles_, but no plants in that one.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682/3 "2012-11-21T03:47:24Z")

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Sounds like an episode from [Creepshow](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083767/), _The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill_.

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682/4 "2012-11-21T04:26:36Z")

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I just did a search on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database:

[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi)

When I put the phrase “Whatever Happened to the” in it, I only get one story, “Whatever Happened to the Olmecs?” by Kate Wilhelm from 1973. That doesn’t seem to be the story you’re looking for. Then I tried a slightly different phrase. The story that came up in the search was “Whatever Became of the McGowans?” by Michael G. Coney from 1972, which may be the one you’re looking for:

[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?51968](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?51968)

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**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682/5 "2012-11-21T14:25:14Z")

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**Wendell** , you are a smarter person than I — because 1) you know about the isfdb, and 2) you searched on alternate phrasings.

That’s the story! My wife thanks you, her sister thanks you, and I thank you.

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**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-story-whatever-happened-to-the/641682/6 "2012-11-21T14:53:25Z")

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The funny thing is the two things I was reminded of when I read the the post were responses one and two.