"Orion and the Dark" is about a little boy who is afraid of almost everything. He fears the dark, clowns, cell phone waves causing cancer, monsters, haircuts, mosquito bites getting infected, falling off skyscrapers, saying "good morning" and sounding like "Goob dorning!", bees, dogs, and the ocean. He is also afraid of being responsible for his team losing, as well as locker rooms and Richie Panic, who bullies him by calling him "Orion." Richie takes his art book and turns to a page where Orion has written all the things he fears, including Richie's name. Just before Richie walks away after bullying him, Orion says thank you to Richie.
He doesn’t know why he does that, but he is quite disappointed in himself for not being able to stand up for himself.
The school plans a visit to the planetarium, but Richie doesn’t give his parents the permission slip. Orion is afraid of being packed inside the school bus alongside his classmates. He fears the bus might crash, and if they make it to the planetarium, the giant models of the solar system hanging from the ceiling might fall on him.
Orion really likes Lisa but can't approach her. He is also afraid that if he sits next to her at the planetarium and their hands touch, he will have a panic attack and become a running joke around the school. So, he hides his permission slip from his parents. When his teacher asks him, he lies, saying his parents won’t let him go to the planetarium because they don’t believe in space, but it's all lies.
He is also afraid of coming back home to find his parents have sold their house and moved while he was at school. His fear is stopping him from doing a lot of things.
His dad finds the permission slip under the couch, but Orion tells his parents he doesn’t want to go. That night, when his mom comes to check on him before bedtime, after she turns off the light, he jumps from the bed and asks her to read him a bedtime story. When she doesn't have time, he asks her to leave the door open so that light can come in, which she does.
When she leaves, he tries different socket lights, which blow off due to high voltage, causing him to panic. Of all the things he is afraid of, he is most afraid of the dark. He covers himself and turns on the touch light, but it isn't working well. Soon, he starts screaming, "Darkness, why can’t you leave me alone?" and darkness visits him.
Dark tells him millions of kids are afraid of him but he is harmless. Dark doesn’t light the way humans thought about him. He says everyone is against him and tells Orion that he is just a regular guy trying to do his job. He says people hate him, but he is just trying to do his job. He wishes people would give him a chance.
Orion feels bad for Dark and starts speaking with him. He tells Dark about the list of people who bullied him. Dark wants to help him stop his fears and brings up an idea that will help him appreciate the beauty of the night instead of being so terrified all the time, but Orion refuses. But after giving it thought and remembering how he was bullied, he accepts, and Mr. Dark takes Orion for a night ride in the air.
They meet the night entities, and this is when the story becomes even more interesting. One thing is evident: Mr. Dark also has his insecurities, which he has to overcome.
This animation will give you a different way to view things if you fear the dark a lot.
