--- title: "Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash" description: "Lorenzo Llama loves making dramatic announcements by the stream but feels too worried to cross the stepping stones. When Rosie the rabbit encourages him to be honest about his worries and try just one stone, Lorenzo discovers that telling the truth about feeling worried makes trying new things easier, and soon he is hopping across the stream and even splashing in on purpose." tags: ["Funny Stories", "courage", "kindergarteners", "early-readers", "funny", "talking-animals", "read-aloud", "rainy-day", "anxiety", "relief", "uncertainty", "Lorenzo", "BeBrave", "ChildrenStory", "BedtimeStory"] language: en source: "Stories for Kids" url: https://www.stories4kids.net/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash/ --- # Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash _A Story About courage_ Lorenzo Llama loves making dramatic announcements by the stream but feels too worried to cross the stepping stones. When Rosie the rabbit encourages him to be honest about his worries and try just one stone, Lorenzo discovers that telling the truth about feeling worried makes trying new things easier, and soon he is hopping across the stream and even splashing in on purpose. Category: Funny Stories Topics: Funny Stories, Courage, Kindergarteners, Early Readers, Funny, Talking Animals, Read Aloud, Rainy Day, Anxiety, Relief, Uncertainty, Lorenzo, Be Brave, Children Story, Bedtime Story ## Story Lorenzo Llama loved nothing more than standing beside the gentle stream and making announcements to anyone who would listen. "Attention, everyone!" he bellowed, tossing his fluffy white head. "The water looks especially sparkly today! Possibly the sparkliest in history!" ![Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash - White fluffy llama posing dramatically beside crystal clear stream](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash-1.jpg) *White fluffy llama posing dramatically beside crystal clear stream.* A butterfly landed on a nearby rock. Lorenzo gasped and clutched his chest with both hooves. "Did you see that? The butterfly chose THAT rock! What grace! What beauty! What absolutely bonkers timing!" The stream bubbled happily over smooth stones. Water flowed clear as glass. Other animals hopped across on the stepping stones every day. Lorenzo never joined them. He had seventeen reasons why. The stones looked slippery. His hooves might get wet. Someone might laugh if he wobbled. The list went on and on. But the real reason lived deep in his tummy, like a knot that would not untie. Today, a rabbit hopped up beside him. She had brown spots and very long ears. "Hi! I am Rosie," she said. "Want to cross the stream?" Lorenzo threw both hooves over his eyes. "Cross? On those teensy tiny stones? With actual WATER all around? What if my hoof slips? What if I tumble in? What if everyone sees?" "I see animals cross all day," said Rosie. "Nobody laughs." "Well, I am a llama!" Lorenzo announced. "Llamas are far too fancy for stream-crossing!" But his voice sounded wrong. The words felt lumpy in his mouth. Rosie tilted her head. "Do you want to tell me what is really going on?" Lorenzo opened one eye. Then the other. His shoulders drooped. "I want to try," he whispered. "I really, really do. But my tummy feels all twisted up when I look at those stones." "That is called being worried," said Rosie gently. "I get worried too." "You do?" Lorenzo sat down with a thump. "You seem ready for everything!" Rosie shook her head. "Last week, I was worried about jumping over a big log. My paws got all sweaty. But I told my brother the truth about feeling worried. Then we jumped together. That made it easier." Lorenzo blinked. Maybe telling the truth was not boring. Maybe it actually helped. "I am worried right now," Lorenzo said slowly. "What if I am not good at crossing?" "Then you practice," said Rosie. "Want to try just one stone? Just to see how it feels?" Lorenzo looked at the first stone. It sat close to the bank, barely in the water at all. One stone did not sound too terrible. "Okay," he said. "One stone." ![Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash - Lorenzo carefully placing one white hoof on first smooth stone](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash-2.jpg) *Lorenzo carefully placing one white hoof on first smooth stone.* Lorenzo stood up. His legs felt wobbly. He took three tiny steps toward the water. The first stone was round and gray, warmed by the sun. He lifted one hoof. Touched the stone. It felt solid. He put his second hoof on it. Then his third. Then his fourth. All four hooves stood on the stone! "ROSIE!" Lorenzo shouted so loud a bird flew out of a tree. "I am IN the stream! Actually IN it!" "You are!" Rosie hopped onto the stone beside him. "How does it feel?" Lorenzo wiggled his hooves. The stone felt warm and bumpy under his feet. Water flowed around it with a gentle whooshing sound. Tiny ripples tickled the edges. "It feels good," Lorenzo said, surprised. "Really, really good!" His tummy still felt fluttery. But now the flutters felt more like excitement than worry. "Want to try the next stone?" asked Rosie. Lorenzo looked at stone number two. It sat close to the first one. Not a big step at all. "Yes," he said. "I want to try." He lifted one hoof and placed it on the second stone. Then he brought his other hooves over, one at a time. "I did TWO stones!" Lorenzo pranced in place, making the stone wobble. "That is twice as many as one! I am practically a stream-crossing champion!" Rosie giggled. "You are doing great! Keep going?" They crossed three more stones together. Lorenzo took his time with each step. He looked where he put his hooves. He felt each stone under his feet. Then they reached the middle of the stream. Lorenzo looked ahead and froze solid as ice. ![Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash - Lorenzo stopped mid-stream staring at wide gap between stones](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash-3.jpg) *Lorenzo stopped mid-stream staring at wide gap between stones.* The next stone sat farther away. To reach it, he would have to hop. Actually hop through the air with nothing underneath! "Oh no," Lorenzo said. "This is it. This is where I live now. Someone bring me sandwiches because I am never leaving this stone." Rosie hopped to the next stone easily. "Come on! You can do it!" "But what if I miss?" Lorenzo's voice went squeaky. "What if I splash?" "Then you get wet," said Rosie. "And wet is not terrible." Lorenzo looked down at the water. It was not very deep. He could see the sandy bottom. Maybe splashing would not be the worst thing ever. But that was not what really worried him. "I need to tell you the real truth," Lorenzo said. His voice came out small and quiet, not loud and dramatic. "I am worried I will look ridiculous. Everyone will see me mess up." "Maybe," said Rosie. "Or maybe everyone will see you being really good at trying new things." Lorenzo thought about that. He had already done so much today. Five whole stones! He had told the truth about his worries instead of making up fancy excuses. Maybe he could do one more thing. "Okay," Lorenzo said. "I am worried. But I am going to hop anyway." He bent his knees. He looked at the stone. He wiggled his bottom. And he hopped. For one wonderful moment, Lorenzo flew through the air. Water sparkled below him. Sun warmed his fur. His hooves stretched forward like he had wings. He landed right on the stone! "I HOPPED!" Lorenzo shrieked. "Did you see? I FLEW! I was absolutely MAGNIFICENT!" Rosie clapped her paws together. "You were! Three more stones to go!" ![Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash - Lorenzo mid-hop over sparkling water with confident expression](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash-4.jpg) *Lorenzo mid-hop over sparkling water with confident expression.* Lorenzo hopped to the next stone. And the next. Each hop felt a little bit easier. His legs remembered what to do. When he reached the far side of the stream, Lorenzo jumped up and down so much he almost fell over. "That was bonkers!" he shouted. "I was worried the whole time, but I did it anyway!" Two more rabbits hopped over to see what the noise was about. "Can we cross with you?" they asked. Lorenzo started to say no. He started to think of twelve reasons why crossing back would be too much for one day. But then he stopped. "I want to cross back," he said. "But I need to be honest. My legs feel wobbly and my tummy still has butterflies." "That is okay," said one rabbit. "You can feel wobbly and still be ready." Lorenzo nodded. Being honest felt much better than making dramatic excuses. He walked to the edge of the stream. He looked at the stones. He planned his path. And he started hopping. This time, he did not shout about every single hop. He just enjoyed the feeling. Flying through air. Landing on warm stones. Hearing water bubble and splash. When they reached the big hop in the middle, all three rabbits counted together. "One, two, THREE!" They all hopped at the same time. Lorenzo landed perfectly. "Being honest about worry is actually really helpful!" Lorenzo announced. "And having friends makes new things easier!" They crossed the stream three more times. On the fourth crossing, Lorenzo tried hopping backwards just to be silly. SPLASH! He landed right in the water on his bottom. The water was cool and tickly. It made his fur all soggy and heavy. And it was actually really, really fun. Lorenzo laughed so hard he snorted. The rabbits laughed too. Even Rosie fell over giggling. "Getting wet is wonderful!" Lorenzo stood up, dripping everywhere. "Why was I worried about this?" ![Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash - Soaking wet Lorenzo laughing in shallow stream water](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash-5.jpg) *Soaking wet Lorenzo laughing in shallow stream water.* By the time the sun started to set, Lorenzo had crossed the stream eight times. He had hopped forwards and backwards. He had gotten wet twice more on purpose. He had helped a tiny beetle cross by letting it ride on his head. Lorenzo stood by the stream with Rosie, watching the water turn orange in the sunset light. "This morning, I was so worried," he said. "I almost did not try." "But you told the truth about being worried," said Rosie. "Then you tried anyway." Lorenzo looked at the smooth stones, at the clear water flowing over them. Tomorrow, he would probably worry about something new. Maybe the stepping stones by the waterfall. Maybe climbing the hill. That was just how he was. But now he knew something important. Worry did not have to stop him. He could tell the truth about feeling worried and still try new things. Being honest about his feelings actually made trying easier, not harder. "Same time tomorrow?" asked Rosie. "Same time tomorrow," agreed Lorenzo. "And maybe we can try the stones by the waterfall!" He said it dramatically, with both hooves in the air and his head tossed back. But this time, he really meant it. ![Lorenzo Llama's Big Splash - Lorenzo and Rosie by sunset stream looking toward waterfall](../../../assets/stories/funny-stories/lorenzo-llama-s-big-splash-6.jpg) *Lorenzo and Rosie by sunset stream looking toward waterfall.*