Molly tugged on her tight, neon pink wig, adjusting it for the twentieth time in the last minute. Across the room, Bill was double-checking the contents of his oversized clown costume. It seemed like a perfect fit if their intention were to stand out rather than blend in at the children's party. Molly shook her head and chuckled. "Are you sure about this plan, Bill? I mean, clowns?" she asked, picking up her bright red nose. "Trust me, Molly," Bill replied as he stepped into his enormous clown shoes. "Clowns are exactly who they want at their parties. Plus, these suits make for great camouflage." Just as Molly was about to contest the logic behind his statement, Bill's phone buzzed with their text alert. "Party's starting in ten minutes. The unwrapped presents are piled high under the tree." Molly raised an eyebrow at Bill, "How did you -?" "Contact on the inside," he winked, "You'd be surprised how many people are eager to earn some spare cash." *** After a cab ride filled with circus music and awkward interactions with their driver, Molly and Bill arrived at the lavish house where the party was taking place. The front lawn looked like it had swallowed a toy store whole, complete with a towering inflatable slide. "Oh, joy," Molly muttered as they approached the entrance. "It's going to be impossible to make a clean getaway with all these kids around." "Relax, we've got this," Bill reassured her. "Just stick to the plan." Hiding behind their exaggerated smiles and colorful face paint, they were immediately greeted by an anxious-looking parent who seemed relieved to see two clowns at the door. "You guys are exactly on time," the woman whispered, clearly frazzled. "Just, uh, wow the kids, and stay away from the grown-ups, if you can. Please." Molly and Bill shared a knowing glance. Inside, the party was as chaotic as they expected, with squealing children darting around like excited pinballs. They took their places among the other party entertainers and, for an hour, juggled, tumbled, and twisted balloons into silly shapes with expert precision. "Hey, Molly," Bill whispered, while making a giraffe balloon animal for one of the kids, "Remember how to operate the vacuum device?" "You mean the one disguised as a giant flower?" she asked dryly, tieing a balloon poodle to her wrist. "Yes, I think I've got it." "Perfect. The presents are under the tree, remember? Just zip the vacuum hose around the bottom of the tree, and I'll start the suction." "Remind me again why we didn't just grab the presents ourselves?" Molly murmured as she discreetly surveyed the room for any potential guardians of the gift stash. "Because we don't want the kids to be any sadder about their presents vanishing than they already will be," Bill replied, juggling four rubber balls in the air with ease. "They'll just think they were blown away by a powerful gust of wind from the vacuum, instead of realizing a couple of thieves were responsible." As Molly moved strategically closer to the Christmas tree, she watched its base for any signs of security measures. She nodded subtly at Bill once she was satisfied that there were none. "I'm ready," she whispered, attempting to look casual as she held the tip of their vacuum hose near the tree's skirt. Bill gave her a curt nod and discreetly pressed the button on his modified flower device. The vacuum roared to life, and Molly quickly maneuvered the hose around the tree's base, ensuring it sucked up every scrap of wrapping paper and ribbons in sight. The pile of presents began to shrink rapidly as laughter and tears of delight filled the room at the sight of the wind swirling around uselessly by the tree. Molly and Bill glanced at each other and grinned, knowing that their plan to leave the party unscathed with the loot in tow was tantalizingly close to fruition. And, just as planned, the chaos that ensued bought them enough time to escape undetected with the stolen presents stashed safely in their oversized clown suits. As Molly and Bill hailed a cab to make their getaway, they couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of their successful heist and the irony of using generosity and children's laughter to their advantage.