I bring fresh flowers

In Short

This poignant 1964 science fiction short story by Robert F. Young follows Rosemary Brooks, an unfailingly patriotic woman whose devotion to her country and flag sets her apart from ordinary romance. Selected as one of six astronettes for Project Rain Dance, Rosemary pilots a manned weather-control satellite into orbit in February 1971. After successfully orienting the satellite's instruments to finally perfect global weather regulation, her escape capsule malfunctions upon re-entry, and she perishes as a falling star. Her sacrifice succeeds, granting humanity mastery over rain and sunshine while transforming Rosemary herself into the eternal, living essence of the natural world.

The Story

The narrative opens by introducing Rosemary Brooks, a lifelong patriot whose unwavering devotion to America defines her entire existence from childhood onward. While other young women attend dances and romance young men, Rosemary remains dedicated to civic causes, patriotic societies, and eventually, the Astronette Training Center established by Project Rain Dance in 1969. Out of one hundred volunteers, fifteen pass the rigorous physical and psychological tests, and Rosemary is selected to accompany the first manned weather-control satellite into orbit. Despite her delicate appearance, her fierce patriotic fervor carries her through selection.

In February 1971, amidst gray winter skies, the launch day dawns bright and clear. Rosemary stands at the gantry in her snow-white spacesuit, her blue eyes matching the sky. The Rainbow 6 launches successfully on a Saturn booster, achieving an orbit with a 203-mile apogee and a 191-mile perigee. Rosemary reports she is A-okay and prepares to complete her mission: orienting the satellite's weather-factor instruments to cloud patterns and jet streams so that the Main Weather Control Station in Oregon can finally achieve one-hundred percent accuracy in regulating rain and sunshine. High above the Earth, she views continents, oceans, and her homeland from space.

Following schedule, Rosemary jettisons the satellite to continue its orbital work and plummets earthward in her escape capsule. Whether retro rockets, attitude controls, or the heat shield failed remains unknown, but her capsule malfunctions during re-entry, turning her into a falling star. The nation and the world mourn her loss, and Project Rain Dance is discontinued because Rosemary has already accomplished its ultimate goal, placing perfected weather into humanity's hands. In the following spring, the rains become soft and warm, and the earth blossoms with unprecedented vibrancy. Rosemary's death transcends tragedy; she becomes the sun, the gentle spring rain, the falling snow, and the eternal spirit of the sky and earth.

How It Unfolds

• The patriotic calling — Rosemary grows from a little girl reciting Barbara Frietchie into a dedicated young woman whose life is entirely devoted to her country and flag. Setting aside traditional romance, she passes the rigorous screening of the Astronette Training Center to join the elite corps of six female pilots.
• The orbital launch — After a winter of gray skies, the launch day arrives bright and clear, matching the blue of Rosemary's eyes and the warmth of her hair. Aboard the Rainbow 6, she rides a Saturn booster into space to fulfill her historic mission.
• The weather-control mission — Orbiting high above the Earth, Rosemary successfully aligns the satellite's instruments with global cloud patterns and jet streams. Her human touch provides the crucial data needed to make global weather regulation a reality.
• The fatal re-entry — While the satellite remains in orbit, Rosemary separates in her escape capsule for the return trip to Earth. A catastrophic failure during re-entry claims her life, transforming her into a tragic falling star.
• The eternal metamorphosis — Though the world mourns her loss, her mission succeeds and brings forth an extraordinary spring of warm rains and flourishing life. Rosemary herself is transfigured, living on eternally as the gentle rain, the sunlight, and the very spirit of nature.

The People

• Rosemary Brooks — A fragilely beautiful, deeply patriotic woman whose unwavering devotion to her country leads her to volunteer for space flight. She wants nothing more than to serve her nation, and though her life is cut short, she ends up transformed into an immortal, divine force of nature.
• The young men of her acquaintance — Local suitors who recognize that God and country always come first for Rosemary, leaving them relegated to a back seat. They never truly court her or understand her depth, and they ultimately join the rest of the world in mourning her tragic loss.
• The American public — Observers and citizens who watch her launch with awe and admiration, viewing her sacrifice through the lens of supreme patriotic duty. They experience profound grief at her death, unaware that her sacrifice has permanently blessed the earth with perfect weather.

In Its Own Voice

• Describing her enduring childhood idealism, the text notes: "It is said that when she was a little girl her favorite poem was Barbara Frietchie, and it is told how she would sometimes poke her pretty head out of her bedroom window, survey the suburban street with her blue-sky eyes, and cry, 'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, but spare your country's flag!'"
• Highlighting her lonely dedication, the narrator observes: "The reason behind Rosemary's wallflowerhood is simple: the young men of her acquaintance knew that with her, God and the United States of America came first, and that accompanying her through life, or even accompanying her home from a dance for that matter, meant being relegated to a back seat."
• Capturing her final transfiguration into nature itself, the text concludes: "Each morning, when you are lying fast asleep in your trundle bed, she tiptoes into your room, her golden sandals soundless on the bedroom floor, and wakes you with a golden kiss."

What It's Really About

The story explores the intersection of patriotic duty, technological progress, and myth-making, examining how individual sacrifice fuels national ambition. It interrogates the archetype of the self-sacrificing maiden, blending mid-century space-age optimism with romantic pantheism. Beyond the technological triumph of weather control, the narrative suggests that human devotion, when absolute, can bridge the gap between mortality and myth. Rosemary's journey asks whether absolute dedication to a cause can elevate a person beyond history, turning flesh and blood into a permanent cultural and natural fixture.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate lyrical, poetic science fiction from the genre's mid-century era will find a unique and haunting gem here. It feels less like a hard technical prediction of the space age and more like a modern fairy tale or secular hagiography, blending cold-war era space exploration with romantic pastoral imagery. Contemporary readers might find the protagonist's one-dimensional patriotism and the heavy reliance on period ideals a bit old-fashioned or difficult to connect with on realistic terms. Yet, Robert F. Young's prose possesses a musical, elegiac quality that lingers long after the final page. It stays with you as a meditation on grief, beauty, and the way human memory can elevate the fallen into the very fabric of the natural world.