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This story is a retelling of Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains"

The house on Berlin Avenue raised its shades and threw open its shutters. The sunlight poured in and the house drank it like a hot child does lemonade, basking in its golden glory. The electronic calendar said that it was August 4, 2026;

"What a beautiful day!" the house thought to itself as it looked over the silent, empty streets of what was once a booming city, "They must come home today!"

At that moment, thousands of tiny robots jumped out of their mouse holes and seconds later were everywhere cleaning, shining, polishing, making everything perfect for them. The house knew they would be home today; it would have their supper and slippers waiting for them. As the morning became afternoon, the house shined. With its highly polished silver and spotless interior, the house waited, forgotten, like a tomb in the desert.

"Where are they?" it thought, furious at their negligence.

It sent messenger robots through all the rooms to see if they were hiding like gophers in their holes. When no report came, the house threw the meal it had prepared down the drain, shattering the plates against the dishwasher door. Then, with a sigh, it picked up the glass fragments these too went down the drain.

As the sun began to set, the house made one more hopeless look to the horizon seeing only the empty road and buildings left in ruin. Slowly, it closed its shutters and drew its shades. With a restless silence, the house looked outside seeing the rubble and the scarred landscape.

During this examination, the house noticed four shapes that looked familiar; it called to them, "Mrs. McClellan," the house called its electronic voice cracking with emotion. No answer came from the shadow on the wall, but the house still tried the other three figures.

The house then realized that it was alone. A few minutes later, a spark ignited in the fuse box. As the smoke reached the attic brain, it did not turn on any sprinklers or sound off any alarms. For it knew there was no one to warn, no one to protect, no one was there except the house. And it was finally going home.