Run: 2026-10-09-01M4G16NTZ2HVXXT21B7Z5S4HV

Molly crouched behind the hedge, squinting through the birthday balloons tied to the garden gate. "Bill, there are at least forty kids in there. Forty. And every one of them has a sugar-fueled sixth sense for stealing presents." Bill adjusted his fake moustache, which had begun to droop in the humid summer air. "Which is why we're not stealing presents from the kids. We're stealing them from the table. Quietly. Professionally." "The table is covered in a clown. A giant clown, Bill." "He's an inflatable clown. He's not sentient." "He's staring at me." Bill peered through the hedge. The clown's painted grin did seem to follow them. "Right. Fine. Phase one: the distraction. Phase two: the grab. Phase three: we vanish like smoke." "What's the distraction?" Bill held up a paper bag. "Bubbles. Industrial strength. I bought the whole stock from the discount shop." Molly stared at the bag, then at him. "You want to bust into a children's party with bubble soap and a moustache." "I want to bust in with confidence. Confidence is half the job." "What's the other half?" "Not getting caught by a woman in a unicorn costume who has already cornered Gerald from accounts." Molly leaned forward. Sure enough, a woman in a glittering unicorn costume was chasing a small boy in a cape around the bouncy castle, waving a plastic sword. "Oh, that's a problem." "That's the mother of the birthday girl. She has a whistle." "Why does she have a whistle?" "I don't ask questions I can't survive the answer to." Molly sighed and checked her watch. "The cake's coming out in ten minutes. Everyone will be watching the candles. That's our window." "Good thinking. You see? You're a natural." "I'm a natural who is about to be sprayed with bubbles." She snatched the bag. "Right. You go left, toward the presents. I'll go right, toward the snack table. If anyone sees us, we're just two very enthusiastic uncles." "Uncles who haven't been invited." "Uncles who are terribly sorry they're late." Bill grinned and pulled the moustache back into place. "Molly, I think this is the greatest heist we've ever attempted." "It's a birthday party, Bill." "Exactly. Nobody expects a heist at a birthday party." They crept through the gate just as the lights dimmed and the crowd began to sing. Behind them, the inflatable clown wobbled slightly, as if it knew exactly what they were up to.