The white rain came

by Sam Jr. Merwin (1910–1996)

• Free to read
• 1 hour to read
• 6 chapters

The white rain came by Jr. Sam Merwin. It is a science fiction novelette written in the mid-20th century. Set on a colonized Mars, the story explores telepathy, frontier society, and a mysterious cosmic intelligence, centering on how settlers might harness an alien force to solve the planet’s desperate water crisis. Lynne Fenlay, a gifted telepath from Earth, chafes at Mars’s rough customs while working at a telepathic research depot. After a colleague is killed and another left comatose during contact with an unknown mind, Lynne and her reckless partner Rolf Marcein trace the source to Callisto, where an Earth mission has been devastated by a sentient, mineral-like entity provoked by a buried power generator. Together they master telekinetic control long enough to shut the device down, saving survivors but at great cost. Back on Mars, Lynne detects a similar presence near Woomera Station and deduces these interlinked “super-brains” exist on many worlds, react to irritation with thunderous energy, and, given an atmosphere, can trigger storm phenomena. She designs a shielded telepathic relay to “nudge” the entity into producing localized weather, and the team successfully brings snowfall to the parched plain—proof that Mars can be watered. Celebrations and commendations follow, tempered by losses, lingering dangers, and a wry final mishap that postpones the couple’s long-delayed honeymoon.

• Science fiction
• Mars (Planet)
• Telepathy
• Spouses
• Callisto (Satellite)