Rain, Rain, Go Away (short story)

Rain, Rain, Go Away is a short story by Isaac Asimov. A fantasy rather than a science fiction story, it was based on an idea by Bob Mills, editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but rejected by him. It was instead published in the September 1959 issue of Fantastic Universe and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.

Plot summary

The story concerns a seemingly perfect family, the Sakkaros,[note 1] who become neighbours of another family, the Wrights. The Wrights are puzzled at the great lengths the Sakkaros go to avoid any contact with water. The family always seems to be tanning, but at the slightest chance of rain they all rush inside the safety of their home. To find out more about the Sakkaros the Wrights invite them to go to a town carnival. The Sakkaros are extremely cautious and bring a radio with them that is tuned to the weather channel, and a barometer. At the carnival they display bizarre food choices, forgoing standard fare for sweets, especially pure sugar sweets such as candy floss. When their radio unexpectedly calls for rain, the Sakkaros appear to be in shock until they get to their house. When they pull up, it starts to drizzle, and the Sakkaros rush to get to the safety of their home. When the Sakkaros are halfway to their door, it starts to pour and the Sakkaros are caught in the rain. Their faces shrivel and they melt. This is later determined by Mrs. Wright to be sugar, although it is not clear if the Wrights actually determine if the Sakkaros were made of sugar.

Notes

  1. ↑ The name "Sakkaro" is an apparent wordplay on saccharo-, a combining form that means "sugar", by Asimov, who displayed a fondness for puns.

"Sakkaros" is also pronounced like saccharose, which is another word for sucrose. Sucrose is sugar, which is why "Sakkaros" is their last name, since they are made of sugar.

References