“Alright, Bill, let’s go over the plan one more time,” Molly said, shoving a handful of balloons into her oversized backpack. “Right, right. So we sneak in during the magician’s act. Kids love that stuff; their eyes are glued to the guy pulling bunnies from hats,” Bill replied, adjusting his fake mustache in the selfie mirror. “Exactly. While they’re distracted, we just swoop in and grab the gifts. Easy peasy!” Molly grinned, practicing her ‘innocent partygoer’ face. “Wait, wait. What if the magician catches us?” Bill furrowed his brow. “Those rabbits could be trained ninjas!” “Ninja rabbits? You watch too many cartoons, Bill. He’s just some guy in sequins.” “Those sequins can blind you, Molly! I read somewhere they can make unicorns come back to life.” “Focus, Bill! So, as long as we avoid eye contact, we’re golden. Preferably we’ll blend in like one of those piñatas.” “Piñatas don’t blend in, they hang out! It’s right there in the name,” Bill smirked. “Shh! Just… just worry about how to carry all the presents.” “Oh yeah! Speaking of which, do we have our Santa sacks?” Bill asked, peering into his bag. “Bill, you can’t bring Santa sacks to a birthday party! What are you, five? We’re going with these cooler bags—they’re inconspicuous!” “Oh sure, like everyone else won’t be looking at the two randomly cool-bag-carrying thieves.” “Least we won’t look like Santa’s workshop gone wrong,” Molly countered. “Good point. So we grab the gifts, and then what?” Bill asked, scratching his head. “We use the secret escape route.” “Right! The bushes behind the cake stand! All jokes aside, I thought we were doomed when the birthday cake fell…and I fell!” “That was a masterpiece of humor! Who knew ‘cake face’ would be the trending game at this party?” Molly chuckled. “What can I say? It was my best disguise! Everyone thought I was just a kid who took his sweets too seriously.” “And they’ll think we’re kids who forgot to read the invitation: ‘No adults allowed’,” Molly said, snickering. “Right! We do look remarkably young, especially with these wigs. But what if someone recognizes us?” “Bill, the last time you were recognized was when you tried to buy a toy at that charity auction,” Molly reminded him. “Hey! I thought it was for free samples! I just wanted to test them out.” “Right. Sure, that’s why you climbed the table!” “Alright, fine, hard to argue with logic. So we stick to our cover as ‘eccentric cousins’. It’s foolproof!” He winked. “Foolproof, maybe—not if you keep stuffing those cupcakes in your pockets, Bill! You’ll end up being the loudest thief in all of history!” “I can't help it! They taste great under pressure!” “Then no more cupcakes. Just presents,” she ordered. “Deal! Speaking of which, look at the time!” Bill pointed at his watch. “We better get going. Magician’s about to start and you know what they say: ‘The show must go on!’” “Unless we are part of the show,” Molly chimed in, grabbing his arm and hurrying toward the exit. “Let’s fly, piñata-style!” Bill laughed as they dashed out the door.