Run: 2026-10-07-01M4AV7W20A1X0XTNJTNVHPG9S

Bill adjusted his ski mask, which kept sliding down over his eyes like a lazy curtain. He sat in the passenger seat of a van that smelled distinctly of old french fries and broken dreams, the kind of place where heists were born and coffee went to die. They were professionals, or at least they liked to think so, despite the fact that their last job had involved a laundromat and a very angry cat. Outside, the afternoon sun beat down on the suburban street where the Henderson residence waited, its lawn already sprouting inflatable decorations visible from three blocks away. He checked his watch, a cheap digital model with a cracked face, and sighed. "We hit the Henderson place at 2 PM. The party starts at 2:30. Thirty minutes before they notice the presents are gone." Molly checked her clipboard, wearing a fake mustache she'd bought from a party store for fifty cents and a trench coat that made her look like a walking beige rectangle. She tapped a pen against her teeth while studying the hand-drawn map of the backyard layout, her finger tracing the path past the sandbox and the suspiciously placed garden gnome. "Twelve presents, three goodie bags, and that chocolate fountain. Do we have the car?" "It's parked behind the Chuck E. Cheese," Bill said, adjusting his mask with a gloved hand. "A rusted Honda with a possum bumper sticker." "Perfect. We'll blend in with the dads." "Exactly." "But Molly, ethics. These are kids' presents." "I don't care if they're five or ninety-five. An Xbox is an Xbox." "True. But the kid might have karate." "Then we use the distraction." Molly pulled out a bag of glitter from her cargo pants, shaking it so silver dust floated through the van's interior light. "Operation Sparkle Bomb. I blind him, you grab the loot, we vanish." Bill nodded solemnly, his eyes barely visible above the mask's edge. He scratched his chin, leaving a smudge of grease pencil from earlier reconnaissance. "Brilliant. But the bouncy castle?" "Gary owes me twenty from poker. He'll unlock the back gate at 1:45 to watch the game." "I hired a magician for 2:15 to distract the parents. Fifteen minutes of chaos. Screaming children are cover noise." "Don't eat the cake. We lose our moral high ground." "I don't want moral high ground. I want that LEGO set." "There's a Star Wars X-Wing in the pile. I saw it yesterday." "Now you're speaking my language. But Molly, are we really stealing from a kid's birthday?" Molly adjusted her fake mustache, peeling it slightly away from her upper lip where the adhesive was beginning to fail. She smoothed down her trench coat and looked at her partner with the intensity of a general planning a coup. "I stole a turkey once. Same thing, more balloons." "We're redistributing wealth. We'll appreciate them." Bill extended his hand, the black glove squeaking slightly as he clasped Molly's equally gloved fingers. They shook firmly, sealing their criminal pact with the solemnity of diplomats signing a treaty. "To the children." "To the presents," Molly corrected, shaking it. "Right. To the presents. And not getting caught by the clown." "Especially not the clown. That guy looks like he knows karate too, and I don't want to fight a clown."