Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7ZWRCTP0CJQFFV3PX2BF6

Molly hunches in the prickly hydrangea bush, twisting a dollar-store grappling hook—its neon pink string tangled around a dandelion—while Bill squints at a crumpled birthday party invite clutched in his greased palm. Through the community center window, streamers of tinsel green and bubblegum pink drape the ceiling, a pinata shaped like a rainbow unicorn swaying above a mound of wrapped presents tied with satin bows. Kids’ high-pitched squeals leak through the screen door, and a clown in a polka-dot suit loiters by the gift table, twisting a balloon giraffe between his gloved fingers. That clown’s wide eyes follow every bush rustle we make now. Bill’s jaw tightens, his fake velvet mustache slipping down his chin as he yanks it back into place, his neon blue grappling hook (matching Molly’s in absurdity) propped against his knee. We’ll distract him with a fake lollipop before grabbing gifts. Molly fumbles for the fake lollipop in her pocket—stuffed between a rubber chicken and a tiny flashlight—wincing when a thorn pricks her thumb, a quiet yelp escaping that makes Bill shush her sharply. He taps the invite’s “cake time” note, mouthing the 3:15 time to himself, while a butterfly lands on his grappling hook and flutters away, unimpressed by the thieves’ bumbling preparations. A kid’s laugh booms through the door, and the clown glances toward the bush again, making Bill freeze, his hand hovering over the grappling hook’s trigger as Molly tucks the rubber chicken deeper into her pocket to muffle its accidental squawk.