Run: 2026-04-24-01KQ0N1YH65H9Y0MSGXWSXXN05

Molly unfolded the crayon-drawn map across the bonnet of their van, which was parked three streets from the community hall and disguised, badly, as a mobile petting zoo. A papier-mâché goat stared through the windshield with the haunted expression of someone who knew too much. Bill adjusted his clown wig in the side mirror, then sneezed glitter into his sleeve. “Back door, cake table, presents.” “Kids first?” “Distract, don’t frighten.” “Balloon animals?” “You know one balloon snake.” “A classic.” Inside the hall, shrieks of sugar-fueled delight bounced off the windows. Molly tapped the map where a lopsided rectangle represented the present mountain. It was, according to her intelligence, mostly educational puzzles, noisy robots, and at least one suspiciously large box shaped like a bicycle. Their plan was elegant in the way a shopping trolley with one broken wheel was elegant. Bill would enter as Professor Boingo, emergency entertainer. Molly would roll in the “petting zoo,” release three rented rabbits, and exploit the chaos. The presents would be transferred into feed sacks labeled TURNIPS. Bill practiced a bow and stepped on his own shoe. Molly sighed, checked her stopwatch, and handed him a squeaky horn. At precisely two o’clock, the birthday magician was late, the cake collapsed, and crime wore polka dots.