Run: 2026-03-03-01KJTZFKXXWM9SNG0VB0NCECEN

Dusk blushed over the quiet cul-de-sac, where tangled pastel balloons bobbed above a white picket fence strung with glittering tinsel that snagged on a child’s butterfly net. Molly and Bill huddled behind an overgrown hydrangea bush, knees crusted with damp clover and mud. Bill clutched a pair of oversize, slightly rusted wire cutters, his frayed fanny pack strap digging into his hip; a half-eaten granola bar’s crinkle gave away his nervous shifting, sending an oat crumble tumbling onto the dirt. Molly squinted through toilet-paper-roll binoculars at the folding table heaped with wrapped presents near a bouncing castle, a neon glow stick tucked behind her ear. A harried parent herded sticky-fingered toddlers past the bush, and Bill’s elbow knocked a loose garden stake that clattered; they both froze as a golden retriever padded over to sniff their sneakers, then licked Molly’s hand before being called away by a frilly-dressed birthday girl. “Wait, did you grab the latex gloves?” Bill asked, fumbling in his own pack. “You brought the grabber claw?” Bill murmured, breath fogging the cool air. Molly tapped her fanny pack. “It’s right here.” “Don’t fumble the loot,” he added. “Relax, I’ve got this,” Molly shot back, tucking the binoculars into her bag and reaching for the magnetic grabbing tool peeking from her pack’s side pocket.