Vasiliki N. Gastari
ILLUSTRATION
Dimitra Papadimitriou
Vasiliki N. Gastari
ILLUSTRATION
Dimitra Papadimitriou
TITLE
The Little Goblin that defeated Fear
AUTHOR
Vasiliki N. Gastari
ILLUSTRATION
Dimitra Papadimitriou
TRANSLATION
George Meliopoulos
LAyOUT - D ESIGN
Myrtilo, Lena Pantopoulou
COPyRIGHT© 2024
Vasiliki N. Gastari
FIRST EDITION IN GREEK Athens, February 2024
FIRST EDITION IN E NGLISH Athens, June 2024
To my daughter, the inspiration of my heart, with the promise that I will support her in fulfilling her own dreams, and only hers.
I am grateful to my parents and siblings who have always stood by me. Additionally, I extend my thanks to my friend, Lia Lappa, for her knowledge and encouragement.
Once upon a time, in the shadowy depths deep beneath the earth’s crust there lived Lofty, the hard-nosed little goblin with the proud stance.
There was no one like him in the hole wide underground world! As he walked upright, all the other male and female goblins admired him. However, he felt that he didn’t belong in the darkness and the dust. His dream was to become a sailor. Yes, you heard that right, a sailor! He secretly went up to the surface of the earth, where his friend the Swallow told him fables from places far beyond.
“How absurd, my child”, his mother, the lady-goblin, said with sadness, “you, a goblin, wanting to become a sailor! Your destiny is written.
You were born a goblin, and a goblin you’ ll remain!”
Lofty, a determined little goblin, dreams of a better life and sets out on a journey to become a sailor. Along the way, he encounters a beautiful flower with secrets, a floating football field where blue antelopes and pink snakes play, and other strange, beautiful, and amazing things! How will he manage? A fairy tale for adults and children alike, about dreams that refuse to remain dreams…