Run: 2026-07-25-01KYCPNJ16562E53093VB9H1CG

Molly spread the crayon-drawn map across the hood of the van. "Bounce house here. Piñata there. Presents stacked on the folding table, guarded by nine-year-olds hopped up on Capri Sun." "I don't like it," Bill said. "You don't like anything." "I don't like *children*, Molly. They've got no code. They'll bite a man." "That's why you're wearing the clown suit." Bill stared at the crumpled costume in her lap. "Absolutely not." "Nobody questions a clown at a birthday party. You walk in, you honk the nose, you twist a balloon poodle, and you distract them while I load the loot into the bouncy castle." "Why the bouncy castle?" "Because it deflates, Bill. It becomes a bag. A big, festive bag." He rubbed his temples. "And the parents?" "Sheet cake. Once that cake comes out, the adults form a queue and lose all situational awareness. We've got ninety seconds." "What if somebody asks me to do a magic trick?" "Then do a magic trick." "I don't know any magic tricks!" "Make the presents disappear," Molly said, tossing him a red foam nose. "You've had thirty years of practice." Bill sighed, snapping the elastic behind his head. "If a toddler punches me, I'm punching back."