Run: 2026-02-16-01KHKRNYTVZTD3TW9SNFBR7KXT

The night before the party, Molly and Bill crouched behind a stack of folding chairs in the community center’s basement, the stale scent of pizza and glitter still clinging to the air. A neon balloon arch glowed faintly through a crack in the door, promising a sea of toddlers and candy‑filled chaos. Molly pulled a crumpled flyer from her pocket, its unicorns and rockets barely visible under the dim bulb. The center was empty except for a lone janitor humming a tune while sweeping the hallway, and the echo of distant children’s laughter from a rehearsal room upstairs. Shadows stretched across the concrete floor, and the hum of the fluorescent lights gave the space a surreal, almost cinematic feel. “Do you really think we can pull this off without getting caught by a parent armed with a squeaky toy?” Bill whispered, his voice a mix of excitement and nervous dread. Molly smirked, tapping the flyer. “If they can handle a clown with a red nose, we can handle a couple of kids and a mountain of presents.” Bill chuckled, adjusting his backpack. “I’ve got a fake magician who disappears when the cake is cut. No one will suspect a rabbit out of a hat.” Molly rolled her eyes, but a grin spread across her face. “Just make sure the rabbit doesn’t actually exist.” “Okay, the plan: you distract the kids with a balloon animal, I’ll grab the gifts from the closet. We’ll meet at the exit with a bag of confetti.” Bill laid out the steps on a scrap of paper, his finger tracing a route that zigzagged past the snack table, the balloon‑filled hallway, and the locked closet where the presents were stacked. Molly nodded, already picturing contingencies. “If they get suspicious, I’ll blast ‘Baby Shark’ on the karaoke machine. Nothing scares a child like that.” Bill laughed, shaking his head. “We’ll leave a note saying ‘Thanks for the party, we’re taking the presents – The Gift Grabbers.’” They spread a hand‑drawn map on the floor, lines marking the snack table, the balloon‑filled hallway, and the closet where the presents were stacked. Bill traced a route with his finger, eyes flickering under the fluorescent light. The plan was simple enough: slip in through the side door, create a distraction, snatch the loot, and disappear before the birthday cake was even cut. Molly imagined the kids’ faces when the magician vanished, the parents’ confusion when a cardboard superhero cutout blocked the hallway, and the inevitable laughter when they discovered the note. The absurdity of stealing a mountain of toys from a children’s birthday made the tension melt like frosting on a summer cake. The two thieves shared a conspiratorial grin, slipped the flyer back into the pocket, turned off the dim light, and vanished into the night, ready to turn a children’s birthday into the most unforgettable caper of the year.