Run: 2026-07-25-01KYCQVYE8F1GX385560AME7D5

"Bouncy castle," Molly said. "That's our way in." "That's not a way in. That's a way to sprain an ankle." "It abuts the fence, Bill. We go over, we land soft, we're inside the perimeter dressed as clowns." "I'm not being a clown." "You're already a clown." "I'm not being a *professional* clown, Molly. There's a difference. Clowns get hugged. Clowns get asked to make balloon giraffes." "Can you make a balloon giraffe?" "I can make a balloon sausage." "Then you're a novice clown, and nobody expects much. Now. Presents are stacked on the folding table, left of the piñata. Forty minutes into the party, they light the candles, the lights go down—" "It's two in the afternoon." "—the *mood* goes down, everyone sings, and that's ninety seconds where thirty adults are staring at a cake. We load the presents into the bin bags." "And the getaway?" "Ice cream van." "We don't have an ice cream van." "We have a van, and I have a speaker that plays 'Greensleeves.'" "Children will chase us." "Children always chase us, Bill. That's the job." "What if there's a magician?" "Then we're professionals, and we watch the trick, and *then* we steal from a seven-year-old."