Run: 2026-10-08-01M4DAAVKDF92TAR227T8NVZF9

Molly crouched behind the hedge, peering at the glittering house across the street. Balloons bobbed from every window. A banner over the front door read HAPPY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY, OLIVER! Bill slid in beside her, holding a clipboard and a thermos. "Status report," he whispered. "Forty-two presents in the living room, stacked by the fireplace," Molly said. "Three more on the porch swing. And there's a wrapped box the size of a refrigerator guarded by a plastic dinosaur." "A dinosaur?" "It's a very intimidating dinosaur, Bill." He scribbled on the clipboard. "Okay. Phase one. We slip in through the side gate while the clown is doing his balloon animals." "The clown is doing balloon animals in the backyard," Molly said. "The clown has been doing balloon animals for forty minutes. He's got a whole zoo going." Bill squinted through the hedge. "Is that a giraffe?" "That's a giraffe with a grudge." They waited as a gaggle of children thundered past, shrieking about cake. One small boy stopped right in front of the hedge, stared directly at them, and said, "Are you the robbers?" Molly froze. Bill froze. The boy grinned. "My mom said robbers might come for the presents," he announced. "She said to watch out for people in black hoodies." Bill looked down at his hoodie. It was bright yellow. "Well, that's a cover blown." "Pretend we're mimes," Molly hissed. "Mimes don't steal presents." "Mimes are the most dangerous people on earth, Bill. Nobody ever suspects them." The boy tilted his head. "Can I be a mime too?" Molly sighed. "Only if you help us." "What do I get?" Bill pulled a crumpled candy bar from his pocket. The boy snatched it instantly. "Deal." Ten minutes later, the three of them crept up the driveway, the boy carrying a bag of loot, Bill clutching the clipboard, and Molly balancing the giant dinosaur-guarded box on a wheeled dolly. The front door swung open. A woman in an apron stood there, holding a spatula. "Oliver," she said flatly, "who are these people?" "My accomplices," Oliver said proudly. Bill waved. Molly smiled weakly. The spatula lowered slowly. "Well," the woman said, "you'd better come in and eat cake before the others notice you're stealing their presents."