Highly Commended Story - Home Sweet Home

“Home Sweet Home” by Saachi Ashish Naik, Rustomjee Cambridge International School, India, is the Highly Commended story in the sub-junior category of the second biannual Short Story Contest 2019.

Born on 24th July 2010 in Pennsylvania, USA, Saachi Naik moved to Mumbai, India with her parents when she was three months old. She showed a keen interest in reading and listening to new stories. She would often sit with her diary and write about her sister or describe a vacation she just came back from. She would randomly pick names of animals and attempt to write stories on them. She is an inquisitive girl, with a lot of questions on her mind. She has a knack for art and craft, and spends her free time drawing and colouring. She enjoys playing badminton and swimming.She is a sensitive girl who is always courteous to others. She is a correct blend of naughty and nice.

Home Sweet Home

There was a village, high up on a mountain. The village was surrounded by a lush green forest. This forest had beautiful birds that one had never seen before. Not only that, the chirping of the birds sounded like music to the ears.

There were a few children who knew the bird’s language and often used it to communicate amongst themselves and the birds. They called it the Panchil language. Among them were Ravi and Radha, who lived in a small house at the far end of the village. At night they would climb up the roof and sit for hours talking about all things under the sun. They could complete each other’s sentences. They lived there with their parents who had a hard time making ends meet. They would go to the city once to month to buy some essential things like medicine, books etc. Ravi was always fascinated with the city life and wished to be a part of it someday.

As the children grew older, Ravi's desire to go to the city for greener pastures grew stronger. So, he applied for a job, and as soon as he got selected, he informed his parents about the decision. His sister knew about it but said nothing.

Ravi moved to the city. He worked hard and made many new friends. In his free time, he explored the city, tried new cuisines and loved every part of this life. But occasionally, he used to feel an emptiness which he didn't quite understand. Few years went by, and he thought of visiting his village and family. It had been a while since he had communicated in "Panchil".

He booked train tickets and set to go the next day. As he saw his village approaching from a distance, his mind was flooded with old memories. He reached his house. His father rushed to greet him with tears in his eyes, his mom made his favorite meal. He looked at his sister and started talking in Panchil, as if he had never stopped. He now understood why he felt the occasional emptiness. He understood that money is not the only important thing in life.

At night he sat on the roof with his sister like he used to and shared all his experiences.

That night he decided that he is going to come back to his village for good. He understood that, “Home is where the Heart is"....