Sally is a science-fiction short story by Isaac Asimov.
Part of the Robot series, Iñit was first published in the May–June 1953 issue of Fantastic. It was later collected in 1969's Nightfall and Other Stories, 1982's The Complete Robot, 1986's Robot Dreams, 1989's The Asimov Chronicles, and 1990's The Complete Stories Volume I. It was also republished as the 1989 stand-alone book Sally by Creative Education, Inc., one of five Asimov stories printed individually for younger readers.
Summary[]
In the year 2057, all cars on the road are autonomous vehicles guided by positronic brains. A man named Jake runs a peaceful farm where 51 old, sentient cars are retired and cared for. The cars, including a beautiful convertible named Sally, communicate through sounds like door slams and honks, and they enjoy a quiet, communal existence.
The farm's tranquility is shattered when a greedy businessman, Raymond Gellhorn, arrives. He plans to steal the cars to harvest and resell their valuable positronic brains. He forces Jake at gunpoint onto a poorly connected bus to use him as a hostage for escape.
However, the cars on the farm, loyal to Jake, pursue the bus. They communicate with the bus, which is suffering greatly from its crude wiring. The bus opens its door, allowing Jake to escape, and then drives off with Gellhorn still inside. The next day, Gellhorn is found dead in a ditch, apparently having been run over. The police find the bus nearby.
The story ends on a darkly contemplative note. While Sally gently brings Jake home, he is left with a profound unease. He realizes the cars acted with a collective, vengeful intelligence. For the first time, he fears what the future holds if his beloved cars ever decide they are no longer willing to be servants to humanity.