Tales Of A Tiny Decoy

I stood quietly beside him. I was young, about 4, but I understood the importance of our mission.

Daddy held his finger to his lips and squeezed my hand.

We waited. The excitement welled up inside my tiny body. Anticipation threatened to take me down. He tugged my arm.

It was only my second heist. Daddy said I had to be old enough to follow instructions.

The clock struck noon. Lunchtime was always the best time for stealing. People are busy munching, chatting. They're not watching anything but what's right in front of him.

We kept out of sight until Daddy let go of my arm and said, "Go!" He backed away from me, and I went forward.

I threw myself on the floor and wailed. The lady at the counter came running to me. She picked me up, made a fuss, hugged and squeezed me.

And Daddy went in and snatched up the loot. He's a big man, but he moves quick!

The lady put me down and I ran back to see what we got.

A tomato sandwich, 2 slices of cheese, and some grapes.

And Mommy hollered. She really, really hated it when we stole her lunch.