Run: 2026-03-06-01KK1HK06FDBSZ6S7WA1TEKCA4

Molly and Bill crouched behind the inflatable castle in the church hall car park, dressed like budget magicians and smelling faintly of balloon rubber and panic. Through the windows, a dozen children in paper crowns orbited a table groaning under cakes, fizzy drinks, and a mountain of brightly wrapped presents. A clown on stilts folded a balloon sword and looked deeply unhappy, as if he too had made poor life choices. Bill peered over a hedge, notebook trembling in his hand. “We go in cheerful,” he whispered. “Fast hands, faster feet.” Molly adjusted her sequined cape and studied the battlefield. The parents were trapped by lukewarm coffee near the raffle, the children were hypnotized by a woman preparing to release a rabbit from somewhere anatomically implausible, and the gift pile sat gloriously unattended beneath a banner reading HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHDAY, OLIVER. “Take the blue bags first,” she said. “They look expensive.” A bubble machine erupted near the doorway, vomiting soap across the paving slabs. Bill stepped back, skidded, and windmilled into a cardboard pirate. The pirate collapsed with tragic dignity. Inside, the children cheered, assuming this was entertainment. Molly smiled coldly, hoisted an empty laundry sack, and marched toward the door with the confidence of a woman who had once robbed a garden centre in broad daylight.