After months of rain, the sky felt blue and clear like the ocean. the girls were laughing and playing on the velvety grass. they walked with cotton steps on the picnic ground. we watched them approach us and smiled from our hearts. they were here for a little while. they were only here for the sandwiches. soon, they would flutter away to play.

from the way it is told in the passage, choose a phrase below that is most similar to "cotton steps."