Home: Can we ever run away from who we once were?

by Akshay Gajria

Fullmetal Alchemist meets Doctor Who. A family of three, a mother and her two boys, live a simple life in the country side. But the town’s folk whisper behind their backs. What is the secret they are keeping? Is it the father who left, or is it the mysterious powers of his son? On one night, when the mischievous son takes his younger brother out during a storm, everything changes. Turning his back to his home, the son vanishes into the night. But years later, he is compelled to return. Can he still call the place his home? How do you define a home when it’s the last place you want to go? With his deft words, Akshay paints visuals of striking clarity and ponders the essence of what makes a home, in time and space and memory.About the AuthorAkshay Gajria is a writer, storyteller, writing coach, and an avid tea drinker from Mumbai. He is adept at writing fictional and non-fictional stories. He co-wrote the biography ‘One Dream is Not Enough’ of the oldest man to drive from Mumbai to London set to be published in 2021. His own short stories have been published widely online and one of his short stories was converted into two separate short one in English, shot and made in the Bahamas; the other in Malayalam, shot and made in Bangalore. He has been a co-contributor to the book ‘Hack Into Your Creativity’ by Michael Burns published by Penguin. He is also the co-director of Tall Tales Storytelling, the popular Indian storytelling organisation. Through Tall Tales he curates true stories for narration at their live shows and has coached hundreds of writers in the art and craft of weaving stories for the stage and page. In his free time, Akshay acts as an editor for an online publication called The Coffeelicious on medium.com. Twice a year, he mentors young writers at a writing retreat called Alekhya.

23 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2021

About the author

Akshay Gajria is a writer, storyteller, writing coach, and an avid tea drinker from Mumbai. He’s ghostwritten the biography “One Dream is Not Enough” of the oldest man to drive from Mumbai to London set to be published in March, 2021. He has been a co-contributor to the book “Hack Into Your Creativity” by Michael Burns published by Penguin, and a copy editor for the book “The Best of Tall Tales” published by Rupa. He is also the co-director of Tall Tales Storytelling, the popular Indian storytelling organisation. Through Tall Tales he curates true stories for narration at their live shows and has coached hundreds of writers in the art and craft of weaving stories for the stage and page.

In his free time, Akshay acts as an editor for an online publication called The Coffeelicious on medium.com. Twice a year, he mentors young writers at a writing retreat called Alekhya. He is also editing and curating an anthology of fiction stories called Alekh alongside the team at Alekhya. One of his short stories was converted into two separate short films: one in English, shot and made in the Bahamas; the other in Malayalam, shot and made in Bangalore.

Reviews

[Alexia D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home by Akshay Gajria is a fascinating short story that highlights forgiveness and the importance of family. With a constant sense of intrigue throughout all of those wonderfully written pages, I could not put down the story. I also loved the ending as it was like a cliffhanger, making me want to read the next book to come. The author has genuine talent, and the writing is magnificent. His writing is both detailed and offers a deep understanding of the protagonist. Although the author incorporates themes found in science fiction into the story, there were realistic elements that made it relatable. Overall, I highly suggest reading this book for those who enjoy short stories or like ones about time travel.

[Jeff Hopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful read that is emotional and complex with a great ending - or is it the beginning?

I have always been a huge fan of science fiction short stories. Some of my favorite books are short story collections of Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, as well as publications such as Asimov's Science Fiction. So ‘Home’ by Akshay Gajria is my kind of story.
I need to be careful not to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say if you love mysteries of time travel, people with special abilities, the strong bonds of family that are eternally bound, as well as well written characters you connect with, then this story is for you.

[Ralph Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth a read. A good short story for Sunday afternoon.

Nice shirt read. Sat down with this for a Sunday afternoon and liked the adventure. Pity it was so short. And some names of the characters could be highlighted.

[Apeksha Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing short story worth reading. Loved it!

[Namrata Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story I shall return to over time and that left me craving for more! Leaves the reader with a vivid picture and a little smile.

[Sonali Chandak sonalichandakreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first short sci fi read. Loved it. Writing is beautiful. The narrative keeps you engrossed.
And bonus point-The story leaves you happy wanting for more.