Run: 2026-03-06-01KK1HBBPWH22TBXJSJBKF1X00

Molly and Bill crouched behind the village hall hedge, dressed in black so severe they looked like undertakers for a magician. Through the window came shrieks, balloons, and the unmistakable chaos of six-year-olds discovering sugar. A papier-mâché dragon guarded a table piled high with brightly wrapped presents, each one glowing in Bill’s imagination like treasure in a pirate’s fever dream. Molly unfolded the hand-drawn plan with the solemnity of a general invading a very small, very sticky nation. The back gate led to the kitchen, the kitchen led to the hall, and the hall led to glory, assuming they avoided the clown, who seemed to move with the twitchy vigilance of a prison warden. “Grab and go,” Molly whispered. Bill adjusted his wool cap and peered at the window. “I hate clowns.” Inside, a woman in a tiara was wrestling a cake away from a child with both fists in the icing. Near the presents, a boy in a cape patrolled in circles, brandishing a plastic sword with the grim authority of a customs officer. Molly narrowed her eyes. Timing was everything. Bill, unfortunately, was Bill. As he rose to sneak toward the gate, a balloon under his knee exploded like a pistol shot. Twenty children turned at once. The clown smiled. Molly sighed, already calculating the cost of abandoning him.