1 Marie lay in a band of sunshine. She smiled when a bug ran over her toes. It tickled. Her foot gave a little kick. She opened her large, round eyes and saw her mother's large feet first. Then she looked up.
2 "We are going to the marsh," said Mama Gal. "Do you want to come too?"
3 "Yes," said Marie, then she frowned in thought. "What is our family name again, Mama?"
4 "It's Gal-uh-MY-mus," said Mama. "We are the walking bird people."
5 Marie smiled. Mama was very proud of their name.
6 The small family wove between the large leaves of plants as they went to the marsh. Tall trees stood over them. Some large insects flew up near Marie. She snapped at them and then licked her lips. They tasted good!
7 After a time, the winding path ended. Marie watched her Mama and Dad as they smelled the air. Then they looked up at the sky and all around.
8 "It seems safe for now," said Dad in a low voice. "Let's go."
9 The Gal family walked out of the woods. None of the meat eaters seemed to be around. Marie and her parents ran down to the swampy ground next to the lake. Mama and Dad already knew the best places to dibble in the watery mud.
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