Molly smoothed the collar of her bright pink puffy dress, a garment that felt so unnatural on her own slender frame it practically vibrated with irony. “Are you sure about this, Bill? I mean, stealing presents from children?” Bill, wearing an ill-fitting but suspiciously expensive Spiderman costume, ran a hand through his tangled red hair. “Look,” he said, adjusting the goofy plastic mask, “desperation breeds ambition, Molly. And right now, our ambition is a bottomless piñata full of brightly wrapped goodies.” “We’re talking about a three-year-old’s birthday party, Bill.” Molly sighed, kicking at a stray crumb on the dusty carpet of their hideout. “There’s a high chance some of those presents are teething things and half-eaten crayons.” Bill’s eyes glittered with a fanatic gleam. “And a chance, my dear Molly, that amidst the drool-soaked bibs are gadgets of unimaginable value. Think about it: the latest drone, a top-of-the-line remote control car, maybe even a miniature laser beam pointer. The possibilities are endless!” “You’re treating this like a Mackintosh heist, Bill. The art world’s biggest loonies wouldn’t steal from toddlers.” Bill ignored her, humming a jaunty tune as he plotted on the faded tablecloth. “We’ll scope the place out day after tomorrow. Around 3 pm the parents will be enthralled by the ‘let’s all dance to Baby Shark’ session. That's our window.” “Why not just break in when the parents are sleeping?” Molly asked, horrified just thinking about the rampant tickle monsters and sugar-fueled chaos sure to erupt if Bill actually went through with this plan. Bill snapped his fingers. “Bass-ackwards thinking, my lady. A party is an organised chaos. It's a siren song to indecisiveness. Present piles are high, parents are distracted, and the security detail - if they even have one, - is likely a disinterested aunt with a phone glued to her hand.” He peered at her over his oversized red glasses. “Trust me, Molly. This is going to be a masterpiece. A symphony of stolen loot and shattered innocence.” Molly groaned. There was no reasoning with Bill when he got like this. And besides, a part of her secretly felt a flicker of excitement. Stealing presents from a bunch of screaming toddlers? It was decidedly odd, even for them. But it was an adventure, and in the morally ambiguous world of thievery, a good adventure was always worth a try.