A Midnight Clear Page #4

who's on guard at the lower post.

You're gonna tromp out there,

set up an armistice conference...

and turn Wilkins

into a war hero.

What, are you

out of your tiny minds?

- I don't think so.

- It all makes sense.

It's a theory. You're gonna get

your butt shot off for a theory.

Well, I'm going.

Will, listen to me.

I'm the one guy here who knows...

Mel, I said I'm going.

Okay, fine.

But even if you do

pull this off...

how are you going to get

Mother to go along with it?

- We tell him?

- No. No, he's right.

We'll have to draw straws

or something and rig it.

Wilkins will never accept it

if he thinks it's charity.

Plus, you tell him,

he's gonna want to tag along.

I don't think you want Mother

facing any Germans.

So what do you think, Sarge?

It's then I tell them about Mother's run

through the forest back at headquarters.

I don't think

we should tell him.

Okay, look, when we go

to get the Krauts...

we'll leave Wilkins here to guard

the chateau and mind the radio.

- It's all gonna seem perfectly natural.

- What makes you so sure this will work?

What makes you

so sure it's not?

Okay, fine.

Give two quick shots and one more

if you need any help.

Then what?

Then I'll miss you.

Hey, have fun, boys.

Don't get killed.

Hey, just calm down!

They want to talk

to our officer in charge.

- I don't speak German or Yiddish.

- It's okay. I'll translate.

I don't have stripes on my arm.

They won't believe I'm an officer.

I just don't think they're very happy

about surrendering to a Jew, okay?

Did they say

they want to surrender?

Just stuff about wanting

to talk to our officer in charge.

- What was all the yelling about?

- I'm not sure.

- You're not sure?

- Look!

I'm doing the best I can, okay?

Look, just...

Just come over with me.

I'll tell them our officer's

back at the chateau.

You look goy enough. Maybe they'll

come out more with you around.

Okay? Come on.

This is, uh, meine friend.

Freund.

He's in the "schtieb,"

you know?

Okay, I think I got it.

There's seven of them.

They just got sent back

from the Russian front...

where it sounds like they got

the sh*t knocked out of'em.

He keeps talking about that

big offensive south of here...

and he doesn't want

any part of it.

They think the war's almost over

and they don't want to get killed...

in the last few days.

I told him we'd bring our leader here

tomorrow at 10:
00 a.m.

We're going

to bring Ware here?

Look, just get Mother

out on guard duty...

and get the squad together,

all right?

What are we gonna do

about an officer?

I don't know about this.

Why can't Will just do it?

I don't know about this.

Why can't Will just do it?

- He's the leader, for Christ's sake.

- They've already seen him.

Besides, no Kraut's ever gonna believe

that a guy like Will is an officer.

- Take a look at him.

- Thank you, thank you.

Then let's let Mel just do it.

He's a natural leader type.

Hey, wait a second. I'm not even sure

I want to be part of this plan.

Besides, I don't look

like an Aryan god.

What is this?

Father, it's all stripes and no rocker.

- What's that mean?

- It's something new, Miller.

You're our bastard sergeant minor.

Besides, we don't have any rockers.

What if it's like some kind of...

"capture the commander" scheme

the Krauts have worked out?

You know, put a bullet in my head

or something.

Hey, look, Bud, why don't you

just try walking now?

- The man walks like a soldier.

- Put more pigheaded a**hole into it.

- That I can do.

- Chest out, chest out.

Yeah, that's it!

That'll do just fine.

Just stand there like an SOB

and nod occasionally.

You know, you actually do

look like an officer.

- I actually feel like an a**hole.

- That's about the same thing.

Mother gets off post in five minutes.

- Let's not blow his Christmas present.

- Sure this is a good idea?

I can't stop worrying.

God, I hope we're doing

the right thing.

- Yeah.

- Will, listen.

There are five or six of them

down here working like crazy.

They got something big with them.

Could be a mortar.

I think maybe you better have somebody

man that upper post to cover us.

Sh*t. Mel, you and Mother

go up to the upper post.

Stan says they're

setting up a mortar.

All right. Listen. Mother and Avakian

are going to the upper post.

You want me down there?

- Father?

- Yeah, Will.

Get your butt down here.

You of all people shouldn't miss this.

Bethlehem

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

For you. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Holy night

All is calm

All is bright

Round yon virgin

Mother and child

Holy infant

- So tender and mild

- Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

O come ye

O come ye

To Bethlehem

Hey, Father, they teach you

German in the seminary?

What the hell were you two

talking about?

I just kept saying "Merry Christmas"

and "Happy New Year."

I said it maybe 50 times.

- What did he say to you?

- Well...

he said something

that sounded like...

"Throw me a why not."

And then, when he tried

to hand me his gun, he said...

"Why not go shrink."

"Frohlich Weihnachten"

is "Merry Christmas..."

and "Weihnachtsgeschenk"

is "Christmas present."

I wonder what the Germans

thought Father was saying.

What's going on?

Couldn't get anybody

to answer the phone.

Oh, my God.

Mother, I'm sorry.

I forgot all about you

up there.

I...

I heard singing.

- Everything okay?

- Yeah.

The Germans just wanted

to spread a little holiday cheer.

Father even did some

present exchanging.

They gave us sausages,

Vance.

- Is that what happened, Will?

- Yeah, that's it.

This particular branch

of the German army...

seems to believe in turning off

the war every once in a while.

I don't know if I can take

this kind of war.

I'd rather we kept out of each other's

way, except when we have to fight.

Oh, sh*t.

This is meine kommandier.

Hey, Will, come over here.

Okay. Okay,

they do want to surrender.

As soon as possible.

Today. They...

He's convinced that this German push

is coming through here any time now.

There's a kicker.

It's a big kicker.

The young ones are scared shitless

that if the Germans come through here...

and it looks like they

surrendered without a struggle...

it's gonna be taken out

on their families.

Everything is nuts back home and they

don't want their parents to get shot...

or put in camps because

their sons were cowards.

Well, do they have a suggestion?

Yeah.

They want us to take 'em

in a fake skirmish.

What?

Just make some noise, leave some

spent cartridges, grenade fragments.

No. No, absolutely not.

- Will...

- No! It doesn't make any sense.

Just calm down. Now you're gonna

blow the whole operation here.

- It's crazy!

- Be quiet! Quiet!

- Shut up!

- You wanna get us killed?

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