Run: 2026-10-08-01M4DA6B8GJGFKRV3RE1PH3XSW

Molly crouched behind the hedge, peering through the gap in the fence at the glowing windows of the Henderson house. Balloons bobbed in the garden. Somewhere inside, a hundred tiny voices shrieked the same song over and over. Bill squeezed in beside her, his tool belt clanking. "Right. Remind me again why we're robbing a birthday party?" "Because the Henderson kid got forty presents, Bill. Forty. Do you know what a Nintendo costs these days?" "I know it's a crime against children to make them wait this long for cake." He pulled a crumpled clipboard from his coat. "Okay. Plan. Phase one, we slip in through the side gate." "Phase one is already a problem. There's a bouncy castle blocking the gate." "Then we go through the bouncy castle." "Bill, that's a bouncy castle full of six-year-olds." "Fine. Phase two, we wait for the clown to take a break. Everyone says clowns always take a break." "That's a myth. And the clown is holding a chainsaw made of balloons, so I'm not getting near him." Bill squinted at the clipboard. "Phase three, we distract the parents with a fake gas leak." "We are not telling a room full of nervous mothers there's a gas leak." "It's a classic, Molly!" "It's a terrible classic. Last time you tried that, a grandmother hit you with a trifle." He rubbed the back of his head. "That was a very sturdy trifle." A burst of laughter floated across the lawn, followed by the sharp pop of a balloon. Molly flinched, then smiled. "Okay. Here's the real plan. Ellie's at the front door with the cookie tray. She's distracting the parents by letting them sample her famous lemon bars." "Ellie can't bake." "She's been practicing for three weeks. Store-bought, but she's rearranging them very artistically." Bill grinned. "And we go in through the coat room?" "Through the coat room. You grab the presents from the hall table. Wrap them in the spare tablecloth. Then we walk out the front like we're the uncles who forgot the gift bags." "I do look like an uncle." "You look like a man who owns a tracksuit with a mustache on it." "That's a compliment where I come from." They stood, brushing grass from their knees. Molly adjusted her fake beard. Bill checked the clipboard one last time, then tucked it away. "Ready?" she whispered. "Born ready. Also, I'm starving. Do you think they'll notice a missing slice of cake?" "Bill, we are stealing the presents, not the cake." "Speak for yourself."