“Okay, Bill, are you sure this is the plan?” Molly whispered, peering through the bushes at the brightly colored balloons bobbing in the breeze. “Absolutely, Molly! It’s foolproof!” Bill replied, adjusting his ski mask. “I mean, who would suspect two thieves at a kid’s birthday party?” “Probably because we’re not kids, Bill. We’re adults in ski masks. That’s a red flag.” “Details, details! Focus on the prize! Look at all those presents!” He pointed dramatically, nearly knocking over a garden gnome. “Right, the presents. But what if we get caught? I can’t go to jail for stealing a bunch of stuffed animals and action figures!” “Relax! We’ll be in and out before anyone even notices. Just follow my lead.” “Your lead? Last time you led us into a petting zoo. I’m still traumatized by that goat.” “Hey, that goat was a wild card! This is different. We’re professionals now.” “Professionals? We’re two people in a bush talking about robbing a birthday party. That’s not exactly a career highlight.” “Okay, okay, but think about it! We could be rolling in toys! We could sell them online, make a fortune!” “Or we could end up on the news as the ‘Birthday Bandits.’ I can see the headlines now: ‘Thieves Steal Joy from Children!’” “Joy? Who needs joy when you can have a brand-new remote-controlled car? Or a giant teddy bear? Think of the resale value!” “Bill, I’m not sure I want to be known as the person who stole a giant teddy bear from a five-year-old.” “Fine! We’ll leave the teddy bear. But the video games? Those are fair game!” “Okay, but what’s the plan? We can’t just waltz in there and grab stuff.” “Simple! We create a distraction. You know, like a clown or something.” “A clown? You want me to dress up as a clown? I can’t even juggle!” “Not you! We’ll find a real clown. We’ll pay him to do something ridiculous. Like, I don’t know, slip on a banana peel?” “Do you think clowns even slip on banana peels anymore? That’s so last century, Bill.” “Okay, fine! We’ll get him to do a magic trick! Everyone loves magic!” “Right, and while they’re all oohing and aahing, we sneak in and grab the loot?” “Exactly! We’ll be like ninjas! Silent, stealthy, and… uh, not wearing ski masks.” “Not wearing ski masks? Bill, that’s the whole point of this operation!” “Okay, okay! Ski masks it is. But we’ll wear party hats over them! It’ll be festive!” “Festive? We’re robbing a party, not throwing one! This is getting ridiculous.” “Hey, it’s all about blending in! We’ll be the life of the party while we’re stealing it!” “Life of the party? More like the death of the party! What if someone recognizes us?” “Who would recognize us? We’re wearing ski masks and party hats! It’s genius!” “Genius? Or just plain crazy? I’m not sure I’m on board with this.” “Come on, Molly! Think of the toys! The glory! The… the… cake!” “Cake? Now you’re speaking my language. But I still don’t know about this plan.” “Trust me! What’s the worst that could happen?” “Famous last words, Bill. Famous last words.”