the bright moon rose into a cold dark sky

stars and planets shone bright

pinpricks of light piercing the cold blackness

residual heat in the ground was sucked into space

nocturnal silence blanketed everything

time slowed down as sunny skies became a distant memory

he stepped out into the darkness

his frozen breath captured in the moonlight

3am was the perfect time for his clandestine mission

as people slept inside their warm beds

he was looking for a vehicle to steal

wandering the wealthy suburbs he spotted a shiny new Mercedes

the house was in darkness with an unlocked back door

he crept through the hallway searching for the car key

knowing that most people drop their keys close to the front door

he found the key in a dish on the hall table

seconds later he was driving away

soon arriving at an old warehouse on the edge of town

the Mercedes joined a long line of stolen high end vehicles

technicians were busy altering the vehicle identification marks

forgers were making false documentation

before daybreak all the vehicles would be inside containers heading overseas

the thief went home to catch up on his sleep

he was dreaming of cold dark nights and easy rich pickings

the exploding front door jolted him awake

agents surrounded him with weapons drawn

one of them grinned telling him he took the bait

the Mercedes was a decoy full of tracking devices and cameras