Run: 2026-10-08-01M4DAJNXD0F3NC966N3CZF4GJ

Molly crouched behind the hedge, peering through the gap at the glowing windows of number 14 Maple Lane. Balloons bobbed against the porch railing. Somewhere inside, a hundred sugared children shrieked with joy. Bill slid in beside her, holding a clipboard he had clearly been too proud to leave at home. "Right," he whispered. "Phase one. We reach the back door without being spotted by the parents." "Phase one is you tripping over the garden gnome again," Molly said. "I'm not doing that twice." "That gnome had it coming. It looked at me." "It's made of concrete, Bill." He ignored her and tapped the clipboard. "Phase two. We locate the presents. Phase three, we take them. Phase four, we make a clean exit with forty-seven gift-wrapped boxes and no witnesses." Molly squinted at the paper. "Why does phase three say 'bag of sacks'?" "Because I'm not carrying them in my arms like an amateur. We're professionals." "Professionals don't wear pink bunny ears." Bill touched his head, then cleared his throat. "They're camouflage." "They're glowing." "Well, they were on sale." A small face appeared at an upstairs window, pressed against the glass. A little boy in a cardboard crown waved at them enthusiastically. Molly waved back before she could stop herself. "Molly. He saw us." "He thinks we're clowns." "We're not clowns." "Not yet," she said, pulling a crowbar from her coat. "Come on. The cake is probably unguarded." They crept along the fence, past a trampoline and a dog that wagged its tail but, to their relief, did not bark. At the back door, Bill fumbled with a lockpick set, dropping one pin into the grass. "Is that a problem?" Molly asked. "Only if we need it." "Bill." "It's fine. I have a spare. I always have a spare." He jiggled the lock. Click. The door swung open to reveal a kitchen crowded with party supplies and a tray of cupcakes with dinosaur toppers. Molly grabbed a sack and grinned. "Okay, Bill. Let's go be villains." "Technically, we're just very committed gift thieves." "Stop talking and start stealing."