HAND-ON-THIGH STORY — ...An occasion cited by Hari Seldon as the first turning point in his search for a method to develop psychohistory. Unfortunately, his published writings give no indication as to what that "story" was and speculations concerning it (there have been many) are futile. It remains one of the many intriguing mysteries concerning Seldon's career. (Prelude to Foundation)...
Raindrop Forty-Three is a character in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.
About Raindrop Forty-Three[]
A serious and devout Mycogenian woman, Raindrop Forty-Three was one of two Sisters assigned to instruct the tribal outsiders, Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili, in the use of their apartment's kitchen. As a strict adherent to her society's customs, she initially displayed profound discomfort and refused to speak directly to or even look at Seldon, a male outsider. She was coerced into breaking this taboo only after Seldon employed harsh, deliberate pressure, threatening to complain to Sunmaster Fourteen. Despite her deep aversion, she fulfilled her promise to guide Seldon on a tour of the vast, automated Mycogenian microfarms. It was during this tour, amidst the algae tanks and fungal vats, that a significant shift occurred. Seldon's strategy of isolation and persistent questioning, combined with his feigned interest in "supernaturalism," provoked a fierce denial from her. In her anger and pride to defend her people's empirical, self-reliant ethos, she revealed their true source of strength and identity: not religion, but history. This pivotal admission led her to take Seldon to a secluded rest shed, where, under intense nervous tension, she negotiated a condition for showing him The Book: he must remove his skincap. This act of seeing and touching a tribesman's hair was a deeply transgressive and sexually charged experience for her, a mixture of revulsion and fascination. Compelled by this complex interplay of coercion, curiosity, and a conviction that a tribesman could never truly comprehend its sacred content, she ultimately produced the Book, the sacred text of her people, violating the most sacred laws of her culture in the process. It was later revealed that was part of Sunmaster's plan.
Appearances[]