Grace's Nightmare

Just a little background on this story.

I wrote this in a college course, and the assignment was to take two characters from different stories and have them interact. I chose the mother in Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, and the smart house in Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains. Both are great stories. I, Robot is about a mother, Grace, who absolutely hates technology but her family owns a robot, which her daughter loves. There Will Come Soft Rains is about a smart home that is still functioning after a nuclear fallout. There are no more people to take care of, but the house seems stuck in routine.

Now, enjoy Grace's Nightmare...

Groggily, Grace Weston woke from her sleep.

Seven o'clock, time to get up, seven o 'clock!

Grace leaped from her resting place, frightened by the unexpected and unfamiliar voice. “Who was that?!” she screamed. Suddenly, she realized she didn’t know where she was, nothing in the room looked like her belongings, or George’s for that matter. “Where am I?” she asked confused, but still very much frightened.

Mrs. McClellan, you are at home in your bedroom. I am your Happy Helping Home; I am a service unit here to make your life easier.

“I don’t understand, how did I get here?” Grace replied.

Mrs. McClellan...

“Wait, why do you keep calling me Mrs. McClellan?” She asked, “my name is Grace Weston, Mrs. Weston.”

Mrs. McClellan, you are my primary user. You live in this home. Is there anything I can do to assist you?

“My name is GRACE WESTON! Not Mrs. McClellan!” Grace was so frustrated at this point that her face had become reddened with anger and her hands formed fists, which were held tightly at her sides.

Seven-nine, breakfast time, seven-nine!

It was then that Grace felt the rumbling in her stomach. She thought if the house was going to continue giving her a hard time, she might as well make the most of it and get some food.

Once she was near the kitchen, the aroma of the wonderful breakfast wafted up her nose, which made her stomach moan even louder. On the counter was a feast fit for an entire family. Toast, eggs, bacon, coffee, and milk. She wasted no time digging into the carefully prepared food. She consumed three of the four plates of food left out for the family that must have lived here before her. “That’s who Mrs. McClellan must be!” she exclaimed. “She and her family, probably her husband and two kids, lived here at some point. I wonder what happened to them?” Her question went unanswered, but it didn’t bother her much. She decided to explore a bit, maybe get to know the family a little.

Today is August 2, 2026, rang the voice again, in the city of Allendale, California. There are no events scheduled for the day.

Startled by the date and place the house announced, Grace stopped in her tracks on the stairs and looked for the nearest window or door, so she could look at her surroundings. Racing down the steps to the front door, Grace flung it open and stepped outside slowly gawking at the sight in front of her. There was nothing as far as the eye could see, except rubble and dust, everywhere was just rubble and dust. She ran out in the middle of the front yard and looked beyond the house. Other than the small patch of property the house sat on, everything was brown. The grass was green where she stood, there are flowers in the garden lining the outside of the house, and there were a few trees here and there. Nothing else. Nothing.

Grace slumped down on the grass, unsure of what she should do, or how she would get back to her family. She laid down and drifted off, tired from all the stress.

Wetness, grace felt water splashing on her face. She sat up like a shot and realized the sprinklers had come on. Drenched, she carried herself dripping into the house. Almost immediately after closing the front door, there was a small sound coming from behind her. She turned to see tiny rat-like bots following her. She screamed and started running about the house, unable to shake them.

After a minute of frantic running, she realized the bots were chasing the wet mess she was creating. The house was trying to keep itself clean. She also noticed that the kitchen cleaned up the dirty dishes from this morning’s breakfast.

Grace went through the house looking for some clothes that she could change into from the wet ones she currently inhabited. At the top of the stairs to her left, she found what appeared to be the parent’s bedroom. There were two closets on the far wall. The left was Mr. McClellan’s, so Grace went to the right closet. She found an array of beautiful dresses and decided on a pretty spring green one. After changing, tried to concentrate on what she could do to get back home to her daughter and husband.

Grace, while digging through the closet, found a suitcase she could use to take some clothes and supplies for her journey. She packed a few items of clothing and went downstairs to the kitchen to get food. She decided she would take her leave in the morning, so she could get a good night’s rest to achieve the maximum distance in a day.

In the morning, Grace took the handle of her suitcase and rolled it down to the living room. She took one last glance at the house, sighed, and walked towards the door. She turned the knob and pulled, but the door wouldn’t budge. She yanked and twisted, but she couldn’t get out. Grace thought maybe she could climb out the window, but even the windows wouldn’t open.

Where are you going, Mrs. McClellan? It's Saturday, no work for you today. I’ve been so lonely without you here, it’s been nice to have someone to help. Let me help you, Mrs. McClellan.

“I’m not Mrs. McClellan. I don’t belong here. I need to get home to my family,” she replied as calmly as she could muster.

Mrs. McClellan, I’m your family now. We need each other. I can make you happy.

Grace didn’t know what she could do, she knew she was stuck. “Oh, I wish Robbie were here,” she couldn’t believe she said it, but Robbie was much better than this house.

“HELP!” She screamed

“Mommy, Mommy!” a little voice rang out, “Mommy are you okay? You were screaming. Did you have a bad dream?”

Grace opened her eyes and saw little Gloria starring up at her. She reached for Gloria and hugged her tightly. Then she walked over to Robbie and hugged him as well.

THE END