Enjashek

Information

Status

Completed

Year

2025

Author

Mik Wilkens

• 2. When We Die, We're Gone
  Apr 5, 2025
• 1. Enjashek Do Not Die
  May 17, 2025

What readers say about Enjashek

• “This short story can be read quickly. It is a wonderful tale of a young scientist struggle to find out information about an alien species that is able to bond with humans. The communication between them becomes clear and the scientist realizes that the prob…”

  LIKAAMRoyal Road5.0 / 5

• “I had no idea what I was getting into here. Mik was just another random Royal Road author to me. There's room for improvement in this story, but I can't see much of it: Enjashek neatly wraps up a sweet and emotional little sci-fi mystery and ties a bow on i…”

  RylesRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

Community Reviews(4)

• LIKAAMRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This short story can be read quickly. It is a wonderful tale of a young scientist struggle to find out information about an alien species that is able to bond with humans. The communication between them becomes clear and the scientist realizes that the problem she is trying to solve needs to be corrected and also presents a unique opportunity. The story is thought provoking and entertaining. Well Done!  My preference would have been for the author to finish with a bit more of a solution, but a more open ending has it's merits also.
• RylesRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I had no idea what I was getting into here. Mik was just another random Royal Road author to me. There's room for improvement in this story, but I can't see much of it: Enjashek neatly wraps up a sweet and emotional little sci-fi mystery and ties a bow on it.
  I'm wearing my biases on my sleeve, here; light science fiction with a heavy focus on alien species is my jam. There's quality beneath that - not anyone can throw aliens at me and call it a day! I got emotionally attached to the titular enjashek and the story got me invested in understanding their unusual kind.
  Style
  Mik is clever, leveraging foreshadowing that preys on a precise lack of information, leading the reader through a deliberate path and building up to a layered payoff.
  There was one line that felt clumsy enough to yank me out of the immersion: "Oh, gods. You’re one of the poachers." Rella knew the guy was a poacher, Mik made it clear the guy was a poacher, and it felt as though the line was there in order to act as a setup for the poacher's response. The poacher's characterization is communicated better by his other actions.
  Story
  I loved it. I loved the enjashek, I loved the questions that got set up, I loved the discovery. This story captures a pivotal moment in humanity's exploration of an alien world and keeps the scope tight and cozy. I got majorly hung up on a single detail - Tully couldn't "pronounce the R in Rella's name", but had no issue pronouncing various other 'r's. In the moment, I took that slight personally. Unless I was too dumb to understand why Rella's name was an exception, Tully's little speech quirk was so endearing to their relationship I couldn't stand to see it immediately ignored in other contexts. The fact that I got a little upset about it speaks to the story's overall quality. One other factor hits the story harder:
  I also did not understand why Rella was going on about how the 'consciousness blight' that caused enjashek to come out as 'enja' was "happening here [on Dion
• EF NordmedRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  There are some stories that when you're reading them, you sorta... fall into them.  This was one of those.
  I truly enjoyed the characters, the plot developed nicely, and there were no "Why did they do that?" moments to pull me out of the story.
  As mentioned by the author, this story didn't come to a full conclusion as the plan is to develop it more later, but I really enjoyed what there was.  More, please!
• realcharlesyangRoyal Road

  ★★★ 3.0

  What makes Enjashek work for me is its understated emotional gravity.
  It begins with a it of scientific curiosity but slowly unfolds into something deeply personal and sacred.
  Rella comes to understand the enjashek not just intellectually but emotionally, even spiritually. Tully, in his final act, entrusts Rella with his people's essence..or lifeforce...literally making her the living vessel of a vanishing civilization.
  It's not a victory but it's not a defeat either. It's a kind of passing on, a way of making sure something precious survives.
  After reading Wilkens’ other short story, Essence of Sacrifice, I began to see a deeper pattern in her work...one that resonates with me personally. Both stories are about individuals who endure suffering and hardship, yet rather than give into despair or cynicism, they focus on what they can leave behind.
  Whether it's a piece of knowledge, a memory, or an essence of identity, Wilkens' characters are defined not just by what they lose, but by what they choose to entrust to someone they care about.
  That theme of legacy in the face of loss is profoundly moving to me. It reflects something human and hopeful...it's the idea that even when we're at our lowest, we still have the power to give something meaningful to someone we trust. It’s a quiet rebellion against erasure...against extinction itself.
  In a world saturated with loud, flashy science fiction, Mik Wilkens writes with a whisper and that whisper speaks volumes. Enjashek isn't just a story about an alien species. It's about loss and passing down memories...the need to be remembered, and the courage to pass on a part of ourselves to someone who will carry it forward.