Ryers Readers - Orion and the Dark

Episode Date: February 24, 2023

Orion is scared of MANY things. But most of all, the dark. Join Orion as he faces his biggest fear, and learns it is not as scary as he thought!

Let's do this! Thank you so much for tuning into today's story. Don't forget to rate and follow, so you never miss out on all the Ryers' readers fun. Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that carrots are packed with vitamins and antioxidants that help the overall health of your eyes? Carrots are a great choice for a healthy snack. They won't help you get super duper x-ray vision or anything, but I guess it won't hurt to try, right? Okay, story time. Today, we have a super special Ryers Reader's Reader's request from five-year-old Juniper Sam. Juniper Sam would like to hear Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlane.

I hope you enjoy this story, Juniper Sam. Let's do this. The name is Orion. and I guess you could say I'm scared of a lot of things. Mom tells me I just have a big imagination, and there's nothing to be afraid of. Well, that's easy for her to say. As far as I can see, the world is full of frightening things. Wasps, bicycles, the ocean, closets, girls, dogs, especially the big ones, popping balloons, sheds, space, grandma,

lights, spiders, storms, plaid, haircuts, monsters? But there's one thing that scares me more than anything else. The dark. Of course, I've tried all kinds of things to solve the problem. Hiding from the dark, avoiding the dark, improving my night vision, eating lots of carrots, capturing the sun, too hot and kind of sweaty, keeping glowworms, inventing the everlasting light bulb. Dressing up like an owl. Everyone knows that owls can see in the dark. Staging a protest. No dark allowed here. Night vision goggles painting my room with glow in the dark

paint. But nothing ever works. And before I know it, it's bedtime again. Good night, Orion. Good night, Mom. I hate bedtime. The night that changed everything began like any other. I kept an eye out for monsters. I kept an ear out for scary noises. But as it got darker and darker and darker, I couldn't take it anymore. I've had enough of you, dark. I wish you and your scary sounds, your murky monsters,

and your pitch blackness would just, just go away. And that's when something strange happened. Jebbering jellyfish! Outside my window, the dark seemed to come alive. And then it came inside my room. I was feeling more scared than ever before, even more than when I went to that dog show with grandma. But mom always says it's important to remember your manners, especially when you are getting greeted by monsters. I mean, visitors. So I said,

Hello, I'm Orion, and put out my hand. Hello there. I'm the dark. Now, Orion, it's time for you to stop being so afraid of everything, especially me. Let's go on an adventure. Of course, normally,

I'd be scared stiff of going on an adventure, especially with a terrifying creature like the dark. but the dark wasn't quite what I had expected. First, he asked to see all the shadowy and scary parts of the house, the nooks and crannies where the monsters live. Number one, in the closet. Number two, under the bed. Number three, down the drain and number four in the basement.

And you won't believe this, but some of the darkest places, turned out to be the most fun. Even having fun couldn't stop me from getting scared for long, though. What are those horrible, creepy and scary sounds coming from outside? Together, we bravely went outside to find the frightening sounds. And when we found them, they weren't frightening at all. Bricky! That's just dad, silly.

The dark asked me if I'd stopped feeling afraid. I said I felt a little better, but there was still one place that made my knees wobble and my tummy twist with fright. The awful place where the dark is the darkest of all. And so we went. On one last adventure all the way up into the night sky. There, in the darkest place of all, I realized the dark could be fun, and the dark could be interesting, and the dark could be magical. And most of all, the dark could be my friend.

And nobody, not even me, is scared of their best friend. But too soon, we had to go home. As the sun began to climb back up into the sky, my friend began to fade. It was time to say goodbye. I've had such a super duper spithidocious, incredomundo adventure! But will you ever come back? I didn't want the dark to go. And so, he promised, I'll never be far away.

And from that night on, he never was. The end. Don't forget to stick around to see if you can answer today's pay. attention question. Before you go, do you think you can answer today's paying attention question? Orion was scared of a lot of things, but there was one place that scared him so much it made his knees wobble and his tummy twist with fright. What was Orion most scared of? If your answer was the night sky? You did it! Great job! You should. You should. You should. You should. You should. sure we're paying attention. I hope you enjoyed that story. I wonder what we're going to read next.

Bye, Juniper Sam.