Molly crouched behind the hedge, watching as a neon rainbow of balloons drifted lazily above the backyard fence. The shrieks of over-caffeinated toddlers cut through the air, punctuated by the familiar wail of a clown rapidly losing control of his audience. Bill, sporting a baseball cap two sizes too small, pressed his back against the garden shed. Their target, a mountain of gift-wrapped boxes, glistened under a Dora the Explorer banner. Molly peered through her binoculars. “So, we definitely go with the distraction plan?” Bill grinned, pulling a rubber chicken from his backpack. “Classic chaos, Mol. Kids love poultry.” Molly rolled her eyes, scanning for weak points in the perimeter. Parents nursed coffee and hung desperately to the edges, creating a dense buffer. “Distraction gets us in. Grabbing thirty gifts gets us out.” “Fast hands, quick feet, no eye contact with birthday royalty,” Bill murmured, eyeing the girl in a tiara who was wielding a cupcake like a scepter. “Let’s avoid the bounce house this year,” Molly hissed, remembering their harrowing escape from last summer’s inflatable maze. Bill nodded. “No one expects the piñata gambit.” The balloons shifted. Molly inhaled. “Showtime. Follow my lead, chicken man.” They melted into the sugar-fueled chaos, smiles wide and eyes fixed on their glittering prize.