Ivan's Fear. Ariel Andrés Almada

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      The author will donate all proceeds from

      this book to the Cometa Foundation.

      www.fundacioncometa.org

       Ivan’s Fear

      Text © Ariel Andrés Almada

      Illustrations © Cha Coco

      This edition © 2013 Cuento de Luz SL

      Calle Claveles 10 | Urb Monteclaro | Pozuelo de Alarcón | 28223 | Madrid | Spain

       www.cuentodeluz.com Title in Spanish: El miedo de Iván English translation by Jon Brokenbrow

      ISBN: 978-84-15784-28-9

      Printed by Shanghai Chenxi Printing Co., Ltd. xxxx 2013, print number xxx

      All rights reserved

      In the smallest house in the biggest forest in the oldest country lived Ivan

      with his family. Every morning, he walked to the river with his dog, Tommy;

      in the afternoons, he would help his father collect honey from the hives;

      in the evenings, when he was tired, he would sit in the garden and look up

      at the stars.

      Although he dreamed about having great adventures and visiting far-away

      lands, Ivan knew that it would be impossible for him. You see, Ivan’s secret

      was that, ever since he was little, he had always been frightened of things.

      The first time he felt afraid was when his parents took him to the seashore. The

      waves looked as if they were edging towards them threateningly, and Ivan closed

      his eyes so that he would feel safer.

      “I’m really scared of the sea, Mommy,” he said, and he spent hours walking along

      the beach, looking out at the water from a safe distance.

      As the years went by, Ivan discovered that he was also afraid of loud noises,

      of swimming in the river, and above all, of the strange mist that formed in the

      forest surrounding his house. It all began one morning, just after sunrise. The

      trees were swishing back and forth, and suddenly the sky became darker and

      darker. A thick veil of mist descended slowly upon the house. Everything was

      silent, except for a strange noise that seemed to come from the very center of

      the forest. Tommy was barking in the same direction, running around nervously

      and constantly looking up at his master.

      “There’s something bad in there,” Ivan would say quietly, when his parents