Molly leaned against the wall of the alley, her eyes darting to the brightly colored balloons bobbing in the breeze. “You sure about this, Bill? I mean, it’s a kid’s party. What if they catch us?” Bill adjusted his black beanie, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Come on, Molly! Think of the loot! Those kids don’t even know what they have. We’re doing them a favor!” “A favor? Stealing their presents is a favor?” Molly raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Exactly! We’re saving them from the burden of too many toys. It’s practically charity!” Bill winked. “Charity? You’re delusional. What’s next? Stealing candy from babies is a public service?” Molly rolled her eyes. “Hey, that’s a solid plan too! But let’s focus on the task at hand. We need a strategy.” Bill pulled out a crumpled map of the park, pointing at the party area. “Look, we sneak in through the back. No one will see us.” “Right, because sneaking into a kid’s party is totally normal. ‘Hey, kids! Just here to borrow your gifts!’” Molly scoffed. “Okay, maybe not borrow. More like… liberate!” Bill chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “Picture it: we grab the presents, make a clean getaway, and no one’s the wiser.” “Except for the parents who will be crying over their missing gifts,” Molly said, shaking her head. “What’s the plan for the parents?” “Easy! We distract them! You know, like a magic show or something.” Bill snapped his fingers. “I can pull a rabbit out of a hat!” “Bill, you don’t even have a hat!” Molly exclaimed, stifling a laugh. “Fine! I’ll just use my hoodie. It’s practically a magician’s cape!” He puffed out his chest dramatically. “Right, because nothing says ‘professional thief’ like a hoodie and a rabbit.” Molly smirked. “What if they don’t fall for the distraction?” “Then we improvise! I’ll juggle or something. Everyone loves a good juggler!” Bill said, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “Juggling? At a kid’s party? You’ll just end up hitting a kid in the face with a toy!” Molly shook her head, trying to suppress her laughter. “Okay, okay! No juggling. But we can still make it work. We just need to be quick and stealthy.” Bill leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “In and out, like ninjas!” “Ninjas? You’re about as stealthy as a marching band, Bill.” Molly chuckled, shaking her head. “Hey! I can be stealthy! Watch this!” Bill crouched down, pretending to sneak away, but tripped over a trash can, sending it clattering to the ground. “Smooth, ninja.” Molly laughed, covering her mouth. “Alright, that was just a warm-up! This time, I’ll be serious.” Bill stood up, brushing off his pants. “We’ll wait until the cake is served. Everyone will be distracted!” “And then what? We just waltz in and grab the gifts?” Molly asked, raising an eyebrow. “Exactly! We’ll be like Santa, but cooler. And without the sleigh.” Bill grinned. “Right, because nothing says ‘cool’ like stealing from kids.” Molly shook her head, still chuckling. “You’re insane, you know that?” “Insane? Or genius?” Bill winked. “Now, are you in or out?” Molly sighed, a smile creeping onto her face. “Fine, I’m in. But if we get caught, I’m blaming you.” “Deal! Now let’s go steal some joy!” Bill exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.