Molly leaned against the wall of the party tent, sipping on a soda-pop and scanning the room. She'd picked this particular children's birthday celebration because the birthday girl's second-hand clothes were said to have hidden closets full of wrapped boxes. "Okay, Bill," she whispered, "say hello to the guests for me. I'm gonna start on the locked door of the closet." "Alrighty then! Hey there kiddos!" Bill boomed, towering over the kids with his rubber chicken mask perched on his head and a flashing badge he'd peeled off a cereal box. "Golly, how's the party treating you today?" One child, a brave soul in denim overalls, approached Bill cautiously. "That chicken makes you look like the Easter Bunny!" "Thank goodness!" Bill exclaimed, genuinely relieved. "I was afraid I was going to be the only one in drag." "Uh huh, but I still think it'd be cooler if I was dressed like this, instead!" The boy's glossy hair flew out as he spun into a makeshift tutu. "Would you stop that silly dancing?" Bill shushed, looking down in mock horror. "The parents might notice something's up!" The kids reclaimed their laughter, and Molly slipped behind the first random set of gift piles she could find. "Let's do this!" she whispered, tearing off some fingersantom tape she'd grabbed before leaving her hotel room. "And Bill? Don't forget my caskate-derine." "Oh, that," Bill snickered, already ramping up his "announcement shtick" with odd claims about his favorite flavors. "Today's a treat for bein' sneaky! It's Codtastic Gummi BearTM SuperDeeCranberryBOOM!" He dropped it in his mouth loudly, pointing at the children. "Who could've guessed we'd have a party in the middle of the woods? Us normals have to work with a little bit more playAnswers! That cupboard'll be open soon enough." As next to him, bags tangled, Molly shook her head at Bill’s mispronunciations of the candy’s name. She applied the duct-tape, stick after stick, across the first drawer(edges...she was a minimalist when it came to physical tools. "This is going to be smooth sailing today," Molly assured him, closed her eyes and pulled hard on the ends of the tape. It tore in places, but held the door tightly shut. "Score now! Time for the presents!" With just 20 minutes remaining, Molly and Bill swiped the backpacks, Jeffery the Giant and Wii remote controls she'd identified by size. And Bill didn’t forget their special prize: the giant, well-wrappedpresentsthat each kid hugged tight as the last guests left. They'd be turning the loot into grades four to six's fantasy camp ammo pretty soon. barkethat thieves should be in their prime during this lively event." she pointed toward a tarp-covered SUV in the darkening dusk. á come to think of it, how can we get those storage trunks without making too much of a noise?" "Leave the latter to my ninja skills!" Bill chuckled, popping a pair of gloves on his fingers. "From the there-" he motioned around corners made by one long row of trashcans- ’ide ’ound back to the trunk. We’ll make sure we don’t miss those perfect viewing seats for next year’s party from the forest." The two laughter-entered ahead and vanished behind fir twigs, shouting in the afternoon: "Unsurpassed planfulness on a brilliant heist of magpie proportionsuluish aspirations!"