Run: 2026-10-27-01M5YEDB8VM1DX2WVWF8B21T5Z

Molly spread the birthday invitation across Bill’s kitchen table, weighing down its corners with a screwdriver, two custard creams, and Bill’s novelty cigarette lighter. The party was at three, in a village hall guarded by a burglar alarm, a bouncy castle, and several terrifyingly observant grandmothers. Bill studied the floor plan, which Molly had drawn on the back of a takeaway menu. “We enter as clowns, grab all the presents, and leave before cake,” Molly said. Bill looked at the clown costumes: one emerald, one scarlet, both tragically cropped. “Fine, but I’m not wearing the wig again,” Bill said. Molly explained that the presents would be stacked beside the sandpit, conveniently close to the fire exit. Bill would distract the adults by juggling; Molly would load the sacks. Their getaway vehicle, an ice cream van, would play something soothing to discourage pursuit. If caught, they would claim to be outsourced entertainment. If chased, they would release the balloons. If attacked by toddlers, Bill was on his own. He ate a custard cream. On the invitation, a cartoon badger promised magic, games, and fun. Beneath it, Molly had written: ninety minutes, forty presents, no mercy. The scarlet jacket fitted Bill beautifully.