Carla Can't

Carla, a cow, always says, "I can't" before trying. When her friends Bert, Bob, and Bertha invite her to play, she refuses to cross a stream, so Bob carries her. Later, when her friends fall into a deep hole, they beg Carla to get help. At first, she says, "I can't," but then decides to try.

She bravely crosses the stream on her own, finds a rope, and learns to tie it, rescuing her friends. Realizing that effort leads to success, Carla decides to replace "I can't" with "I'll try."

Run-Time: 4-7 minutes, depending on pacing and delivery

This story can be performed in two formats:

1. Monologue – A single actor narrates the entire story, bringing Carla and the other characters to life through expressive storytelling, voice changes, and gestures. This would work well for a solo performance or children's storytelling.

2. Acting with Multiple Characters – The story can be staged with actors playing Carla, Bert, Bob, and Bertha, with minimal props (a rope, stones for the stream). This format allows for more interaction and movement, making it engaging for an audience, especially children.

Sample Script:

Once upon a time on a farm in Nyssa, Oregon there lived a cow named Carla. Carlawas a good cow but she had a terrible habit. She had the “I can’t’s.” If something was too hard or before she even tried to do something she would say I can’t. Carla had 3 friends Bert, Bob and Bertha. They came to the barn one-day to ask if Carla could go to the pasture with them to play.

Carla and her friends wanted to play in the pasture but that meant they would have to cross a stream. When they got to the stream they noticed that there were stones in the water they could step on to cross the stream. Bert went first he had to go slow but he made it to the other side. Bertha went next. Bob turned to Carla and said, “it’s your turn.” Carla looked at Bob, looked at the stream, looked at Bob again and said “I can’t.” Bob told Carla that she could if she just tried. Carla looked at Bob again and said, “I can’t.” What was Bob going to do? He couldn’t leave her there so he put Carla on his back and carried her across the stream.

Finally, they were at the pasture. Bertha noticed Carla’s shoe was untied. Bertha mentioned it to Carla and told her she had better tie it before she tripped. Carla looked at her shoe, then looked at Bertha, looked at her shoe again and said “I can’t” bertha told Carla she could if she just tried. But Carla looked at her shoe again and said, “I can’t.” Well Bertha didn’t want Carla to trip so she bent down and tied Carla’s shoe for her.

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