House Vs. Home

Aadi stood in front of the new house, holding his backpack. It was big, with a shiny blue door and a huge yard. His parents were excited, but he wasn’t sure how to feel. “Do you like it?” Dad asked. “It’s okay,” Aadi said.. Inside, the rooms were big, but something felt missing. His favorite painting—the sunset he had made when he was six—wasn’t on the wall. The floor didn’t have the tiny scratches from his toy cars, and his superhero posters were gone. That night, Aadi lay in bed, staring at the plain ceiling. “This doesn’t feel like home,” he whispered. The next morning, his little brother Aryan ran in, holding a box. “Aadi! Look what I found!” Inside were his old toys—the toy train from his fifth birthday, his stuffed tiger, and the superhero action figures he and Aryan always played with. As they unpacked more, Aadi found his painting, Dad’s old cricket bat, and their family photo. Soon, the house smelled like Mom’s chocolate cake, and Dad started marking their heights on the new wall. That night, Aadi and Aryan played with their toys, laughing like always. The house was still the same, but now it felt warm, familiar, and full of love. Now, it was home.