Run: 2026-09-02-01M1H5KX3VVBFJ5HY3A1YQF39Z

Molly studied the bounce house from across the cul-de-sac, binoculars pressed to her face like a birdwatcher with a criminal record. The objective sat in a glittering pile beneath a banner reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE. Two hundred pounds of wrapped merchandise, minimum, if her estimate of the swimming-pool-sized gift table held. Bill crouched beside her, wearing a disguise he insisted was bulletproof: cargo shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and a fake mustache that kept sliding when he sweat. The plan was elegant. Molly would enter as a balloon artist, twisting latex into dachshunds until the moment came. Bill would trigger the smoke machine he'd rigged to the piñata, plunging the yard into sweet-smelling chaos. In the confusion they'd sweep the presents into a wagon painted to look like aFriendly neighborhood recycling bin. What could go wrong was extensive. Molly had counted nine possible disasters, beginning with the cake table and ending with Zoe's grandmother, who reportedly had a black belt and trust issues. Bill was already greasing the wagon wheels. They had exactly eleven minutes before the magician arrived, and with him, an audience of thirty sugar-armed children who would notice anything missing before it finished vanishing.