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Reading Guide: August 2026: There Will Come Soft

Rains
Ray Bradbury
Overview
This is a short story that takes place in the future (the year 2026), but was
written in 1950. It is about a mechanical, robotic house that survives after all
humans are killed by a nuclear holocaust. The author describes the course of a
day in the empty but functioning house, showing us how the technology
continues to live, uncaring that its owners are dead.
While reading, consider the main idea of the overall story: The technology
that automates the house continues after its owners are dead, until nature
ultimately determines its fate.
Directions
While you read, follow along with this reading guide. Each paragraph is
numbered on the reading passage and corresponds with this guide.
1
The voice-clock is a talking clock that reminds the human family of their
routine. In this opening paragraph, we see that the clock is described as
sounding afraid. A clock cant feel fear, can it? The author uses
personification (a literary device that gives human attributes to non-human
things) and uses it over and over again in this story.
As you continue to read, notice how many times the author describes the house
and all technology as having human qualities.
2
The breakfast stove sighs, which is human-like. Respond:
1) Why does the stove continue to make so much food after the family is
dead?

3
A second voice comes from the ceiling. Creepy! As a reader, I have some
clarifying questions about this. These are teacher examples of questions you
want to be asking while you read this story. I wonder:
1. What do the voices sound like?
2. If humans were in the house, do the voices interact with them, like Siri?
3. Why does the voice repeat the date 3 times? Are people in the future
dumb?
4. What is the author trying to say about the future?
Stop and Make a Prediction: How do you think this story is going to end?

4
Relays- n. electrical devices, activated by a signal to open a path for electric
signals.
Glided- v. moving smoothly, without making noise.
Stop, Connect with the text, and Question:
1. What is this story making you feel?
2. What questions do you have about the text so far? Write 3 THICK
questions.

5
Tread- n. the sound of someone walking
Explain: In your own words, what is the gist of in this paragraph? (In other
words, the main idea)
What details support your explanation?

6
Chime- v. made a ringing sound like a phone.
THICK question: How does this scene connect with the rest of the story?

7
Summary: 1.5 hours after the stove made breakfast, the food is untouched
and gross. The Sink automatically cleans up, recycles food into the ocean, and
cleans the dishes.
8
Mechanical mice come out of tunnels (called warrens) in the walls to clean
the house.
Skim this paragraph or Take a challenge:
Describe this scene in your own words, using
only the big takeaway and the
most important details:

9
This paragraph finally tells us the answer to the question of Why arent there
any humans, and what caused all of this?
Describe the scene in your
own words, using details and
strong words:

10-12
Main idea of section: The exact moment that the family was killed by the
nuclear explosion is visible on the wall of the house.

Supporting detail: The whole outside wall of the house was black, except for
where each family member was standing when the explosion occurred.
13-15
There are many unfamiliar words in this section. Circle them.
Paranoia- n. a mental state where someone is obsessed with a fear of
something specific.
Why are the animals still alive if humans were instantly killed?

What other THICK questions do you have to clarify this section of the reading?

16-22
Main idea of section: A starved dog goes into the mechanical house. He
searches for his owners, who are not there, then dies of starvation. This section
has an emotional impact on us because the dog has been left behind, alive.
Supporting details: The house recognizes the dogs voice. The dog searches
for his owners at each door in the house, even the kitchen, barking and sniffing
with his nose.
What clarifying questions do you have about this
section?

23-27
Regiments- n. troops, like an army
Incinerator- n. a machine for burning waste at high temperatures until it is
reduced to ashes.
Make a connection: Does this part of the story have an emotional impact on
you? How?

Do you think the author meant to have an emotional impact, and why or why
not?
28-30
Skip or Skim

31-34
The end of this section explains that this is nursery hour, or a time for
children to play in a room with enhanced technology.
In this section we read a lot of sensory language, like we used in our
Memoirs. List the sights, smells, and sounds that the author describes:
Sights:

Smells:

Sounds:

Thin question: Does technology like this exist in our current world? Give
examples.

THICK question: What would our world be like if we had houses like the one
in this story?
35-37
Main idea: The house goes through more automatic gestures, showing the
reader how precise and personalized this future house is. The author really
wants us to understand how complex this technology is.
Supporting details: On the top of the hours, the bath fills with hot water, a
cigar pops out of the wall, the fireplace turns on, and the bed heaters turn on.
We can infer the authors message here.
38-41
A voice in the study room of the house reads a poem to the late Mrs. McClellan.
It is a poem that is ironic, dark, and foreshadowing.
Skip it or Take a Challenge. If you choose to read it, reflect here:
This is the most important line of the poem: No one would mind, neither
bird nor tree, if mankind perished utterly

42-44
Suddenly and with no warning, the house begins to die. What?! Why now?!
A tree falls through the roof, and cleaning liquids burst into flames. The house
screamed like a human (personification).
THICK question: What resources from the house would you use if the house
caught on fire? Be creative.

45-49
Summary: The house tried to save itself. Rats shoot water guns at the fire
and rain comes from the ceiling. It was too late, because the water supply ran
out. At this stage of the story, you will notice that the pace of the story gets
much faster, and Bradbury stops reporting the time. This helps the reader feel
that sense of panic that the author is trying to create with the resolution of the
story.
50-54
Reinforcements- n. an extra supply of resources (here, robots).
Trapdoors- n. secret doors that are hidden on a floor or ceiling.
Faucet- n. a device that controls the flow of liquid
Shrapnel- n. pieces that fly in the air after an explosion.
Make a Personal Connection: What is most interesting to you about this
scene?

55
Shuddered- v. to vibrate or tremble like a human
Capillaries- n. small blood vessels
Quiver- v. tremble or shake (like shuddered)
Sheathings- n. protective case or cover
Summary: In this section, the author describes how the house burns down,
step by step. The house is dissected to show its skeleton, bones, nerves, veins,
and capillaries. The voices are frantic as they yell run! They die one by one,
like 5 actual people had lived behind the voices.
56
Skim or Skip

57
Ten more voices die, as the house continues working, extremely fast, out of
order, as each section dies (i.e. the time keeper, the music player, the lawn
mower, the automatic umbrella). This is a moment of chaos, or manic
confusion.
THICK Question: Add something new to this section that was not in the story.

58
Skim
A voice is still reading the haunting poetry in the study until it burns down.
59-60
Right before the house finally burns to the ground, the kitchen stove is making
breakfasts at a psychopathic rate. This means the stove was cooking in an outof-control, crazy weird pace.
THICK Question:
What message is the author sending us?

61-62
Cluttered- adj. covered by a lot of different junk in a messy way
Mound- n. a round pile on the ground
Finally, the houses skeleton parts collapse onto each other. The author
describes a scene of thick smoke around a cluttered mound.

63
As the sun rises the next morning, the author describes a scene of ruins and
one single wall remaining. One voice of the house survived the fire, and
continues to repeat the haunting line, Today is August 5, 2026

Reflect, using at least 2-3 sentences and supporting details for each
question to support your answers.

Could this story happen in real life?

What would your life be life if your house as automated like this one?
Be specific.

What could be a different ending to the story (anything you want)?

What thick questions do you have after reading this story?