Homesick

"Homesick" by Lyn Venable is a science fiction novella that shares a tale of astronauts aboard The Columbus returning to a changed Earth after thirty years, only to discover they've become allergic to their home planet. Themes of longing, displacement, and unforeseen outcomes emerge as Frankston, Gregory, James, and Ross grapple with their altered circumstances. Each man battles their predicament differently: Ross nurtures geraniums longing to reestablish roots, Gregory dwells on past memories of arriving back home, while Frankston is resentful of their shared fate. Through their struggle, the group confronts a painful truth: their extended time in space made them strangers in their world, stuck between the life they knew and the new reality of being unable to thrive on Earth.