Run: 2026-09-23-01M37HFG3AKVPDP1AYWP0FF1ZT

Molly spread the birthday invitation across the café table like a map of a fortified castle. A cartoon dinosaur grinned beneath the words: SATURDAY, TWO O’CLOCK, BRING YOUR OWN SOCKS. “Why socks?” Bill asked. “Bounce house,” Molly said. “Stay focused.” Bill studied the guest list Molly had copied from a parent’s group chat. Twelve children, fourteen adults, one magician, and an uncle described only as “competitive.” The presents would sit beneath a crepe-paper arch in the living room. Between them and the front door lay a kitchen full of parents making small talk. Bill produced two tiny party hats from his coat. One had glittery stars; the other said BIRTHDAY GIRL in pink sequins. “Disguises,” he whispered. Molly considered the hats, then Bill’s beard, then the invitation again. They had planned to pose as entertainers, but neither could make balloon animals. Last week Bill had tried to twist a dachshund and produced something that frightened his landlord’s terrier. She folded the invitation and slid it back across the table. The party was at her niece’s house. She knew exactly where the presents would be. What she did not know was how to explain Bill wearing the birthday girl’s hat.