Run: 2026-07-07-01KWZ4YEWJ911WJ37AFKWKMFQE

Molly crouched behind the garden fence, peering through the wooden slats at the suburban backyard beyond. Bill scrambled up beside her, his black turtleneck snagging on a loose nail. "Ow," he whispered. "This fence is a death trap." "Shh. Focus, Bill. Tell me what you see." Bill squinted. "I see a bouncy castle, approximately fourteen children under the age of eight, and a table of presents approximately the size of my car." "That's a lot of presents," Molly said. "That's a lot of incentive. What's the entry plan?" "I was thinking we pretend to be the entertainment. You're a clown." Bill stared at her. "I'm not putting on a clown nose, Molly." "It's a children's party. Nobody questions a clown." "That's exactly the problem. Nobody questions a clown until they realize the clown is stealing all the good presents. Also, I don't know how to make balloon animals." "You don't need to make balloon animals, you just need to distract them for thirty seconds while I work the present table." "What if they ask me to juggle?" "Who asks a clown to juggle?" "Children, Molly. Children ask clowns to juggle. They're relentless." Molly considered this. "Fine. I'll be the clown, you be the parent." "Which parent?" "Does it matter?" "Yes, it matters! If someone recognizes me as not being the dad, we're done." "Nobody's going to recognize you, Bill. We're in a different neighborhood. You're wearing a fake mustache." "A fake mustache that itches, thank you very much." "That's because you bought the cheap ones. I told you to get the spirit gum." Bill scratched his upper lip. "So you're the clown, I'm the dad. What's the exit strategy?" "Grab the presents, walk out the front door, load the car." "What about the clown costume?" "I leave it in the bathroom and walk out as a regular person." "What if someone's in the bathroom?" "Then I wait." "What if they're in there for a long time?" "Bill, how long do you think children spend in the bathroom?" "I don't know, I'm not a parent. That's why I'm asking." Molly peeked through the fence again. "Okay, new plan. We wait until they cut the cake. When the singing starts, I move in from the left, you move in from the right. We meet at the present table, grab what we can, and walk out through the side gate." "What if someone stops us?" "We're adults at a children's party, Bill. Nobody stops adults at children's parties. They just assume we belong." "That's the flaw in every heist movie ever." "And yet here we are." Bill shifted position. "What if there's a pony?" "What?" "A pony. There might be a pony." "There's no pony, Bill." "There's a bouncy castle. Pony is the next logical step." Molly pulled back from the fence. "You know what? You're right. We need a contingency. If there's a pony, we abort." "What if there's a magician?" "Why would there be a magician?" "There's a clown apparently. Magician is a lateral move at best." "We're the clowns, Bill. You're the dad. Try to keep up." Bill sighed heavily. "I just want to know, if there's a magician and a pony, what's our play?" Molly stared at him. "There won't be a magician and a pony." "But if there is." "Then we steal the pony too." Bill grinned. "Now you're thinking like a professional."