Run: 2026-07-09-01KX418RK82XKZD0S446CG47PG

Molly studied the bungalow through binoculars disguised as a pair of novelty birthday glasses. Streamers fluttered over the garden gate, and a plastic unicorn guarded the driveway with the confidence of a minor deity. Bill unfolded the floor plan, which was actually a crayon drawing stolen from the birthday child’s fridge. The kitchen was marked “CAKE,” the living room “PRESENT MOUNTAIN,” and the upstairs bathroom “NO GROWNUPS.” “Timing?” Molly whispered. “Three fifteen,” Bill said. “The magician produces a rabbit. Everyone screams.” Inside, children chased bubbles while parents clustered near a table of suspiciously cheerful sandwiches. A woman in a crown distributed paper hats. Somewhere, a recorder played “Happy Birthday” with the grim determination of a haunted carousel. Molly adjusted her black gloves, decorated with tiny dinosaurs. “We take the gifts, leave the wrapping?” Bill considered this. “Leave one. A lesson in scarcity.” They slipped through the side gate, stepping around a paddling pool full of inflatable sharks. Bill froze when a toddler spotted them through the window. The toddler raised a juice box. Molly raised hers back. “Cover identity?” Bill murmured. “Party entertainers,” she said. Bill produced two balloon animals from his coat. They were both vaguely snakes. The toddler nodded solemnly and returned to eating icing.