The rumble wakes Enoki from her nap. She yawns and looks around as the world blurs past. Usually, she likes riding on the rover, but she doesn’t like when the terrain is rough like it is now. 

BUMP.  

And she especially doesn’t like being bumped. 

She complains loudly. Stop bumping me! 

The roar of the rover must be too loud for her Astroneer to hear her, because the rover doesn’t stop. 

Bump. Bump. BUMP. 

No. She won’t suffer being bumped any longer!  

She backs up to the edge of her Terrarium and leaps, throwing herself into the other side to shake it loose from its cradle.  

Not quite. She backs up and leaps again, and again, rocking her Terrarium so hard until finally… 

Weeeeee! 

She’s flying!  

Enoki spins in the air, fast, until she feels the worst bump of all as she lands on the hard ground and her Terrarium pops open. 

The world keeps spinning, so Enoki lets it, clinging to her Terrarium floor until she knows which way is up again. 

Once she’s sure she’s done tumbling, she cautiously peers out.  

I’m lost! 

Panic churns in her gut. She’s never been here before or been this far away from her Astroneer. She doesn’t have any extra food. Her Astroneer might never notice she’s gone— 

Something shiny sparkles in the distance.  

Is it food? 

No. Not food. Food doesn’t glow like that, but it still looks interesting and maybe fun.  

Enoki thinks very hard about whether she should investigate the shiny thing. Sometimes, it hurts to think so hard. Her mind goes in all these loop-de-loops that she has to find her way back out of. But she knows thinking is important.  

The shiny thing is tempting, but maybe not safe. She will stay put and wait for her Astroneer to find her. If she wanders away, she might get lost. 

Except, she’s already lost! This is so much worse than being bumped. It’s the worst! 

It’s OK. Her Astroneer will find her. He always does. Every time she goes on an adventure by herself, he figures out where she is. All she has to do is stay in one place and be patient. 

But what if this time…he doesn’t find her? What if she’s left out here all alone forever? And she runs out of food?! 

Enoki bolts out of her Terrarium. She’ll find food and stockpile it, so she doesn’t have to worry about starving. She scampers in a direction, she’s not sure which, eyes peeled open for something edible.  

She runs for a very long time. Her shell gets heavy, and she grows so tired. She slows down and attempts a few pathetic hops. Feeding herself is exhausting.  

Uh oh. What if she went too far and can’t find her way back to her Terrarium? 

Panic churns in her gut again. She spins around— 

Phew. Her Terrarium is right there. It’s actually not that far away… She was definitely running for a very long time, so maybe this strange place did something scary and made her run in a circle. 

Enoki hates it. 

She rushes back to the safety of her Terrarium. Scary places are the worst! Staying put and waiting is better. She’s glad she figured that out. 

To pass the time, she sings a little song. Her Astroneer is taking forever. He usually doesn’t take this long to find her. 

What if he forgot about her? No, he would never do that. She just has to be patient. 

Being patient is very hard, especially when she’s hungry. 

When did she get hungry? How long has it been since she’s eaten? What if she waits for her Astroneer so long she starves? 

She hops out of her Terrarium and sprints in the opposite direction. This is the right decision. This time, she won’t stop until she finds something to eat.  

But what if she doesn’t find anything to eat? What if she gets even more lost and she starves? 

She stops running and whirls around.  

Oh, good. There’s her Terrarium. It should really be much farther away for how long she’s been running. Stupid planet.  

She’s about to go back when she spots it: a red flower of deliciousness! She should go pick the flower.  

She should go back to her Terrarium and wait. 

This is a very difficult decision! 

Her Astroneer has never forgotten her, and he always feeds her, and he would be very sad if he looked for her and she was gone.  

With great strength and bravery, especially considering how hungry she is, Enoki drags herself back to her Terrarium and hops inside. 

This has been a horrible day. She did so much running and deciding. It’s not easy to make the right choice and keep wondering if it’s actually the wrong one! She’s feeling many things she doesn’t like! 

All her big feelings rush to the surface and demand to be let out.  

She wails.  

I’m lost! I’m starving! I’ve been waiting forever! I will likely perish all alone and no one will even know! 

A blurry pair of boots comes into her field of vision. She blinks back tears in time to see her Astroneer crouch in front of her. 

You’re here! 

Enoki has never felt happier. Until he gives her a red flower of deliciousness. Once she’s munching it, she knows that’s the happiest she’s ever felt. She finishes eating and sings a happy song. 

She knew her Astroneer would find her. She never doubted him. 

Her eyes get heavy from the food and the good feelings and the gentle rocking of her Terrarium secured in her Astroneer’s backpack. She drifts into a lovely sleep. 

Something startles her awake. 

BUMP. 

She doesn’t like being bumped! 

Enoki backs up to the edge of her Terrarium and leaps, throwing herself into the other side to shake it loose from its cradle.