Barracks 2 was crowded with people as they waited for Wolfgang to arrive at what was supposed to be his surprise birthday party.
Schultz was standing near the table which held a huge birthday cake. He had been hungrily eying the cake for the last several minutes. Finally, the temptation proved too much and he reached out to swipe his finger across the frosting. His attempt was thwarted, however, as LeBeau slapped his hand away.
"Not yet," LeBeau stated.
"But I was only going to have a small taste," Schultz declared, clearly disappointed.
"Not till Wolfgang arrives," insisted LeBeau. "You're just going to have to wait like everyone else. Verstehen?"
"Verstehen," conceded Schultz, not any happier than before.
"Don't worry, Schultzy, I'll see you get a big piece," LeBeau promised.
Schultz brightened a bit at that news. "Thank you, LeBeau. You are such a nice little friend."
The crowd waited a few more minutes. Finally, the door opened and Wolfgang entered.
"SURPRISE!" yelled everyone, almost in unison.
Wolfgang feigned his surprise. "What's going on?" he asked.
"It's a surprise birthday party," replied Klink, stepping closer to his brother. "You didn't forget your own birthday, did you?"
"No, it's just--" began Wolfgang.
Hoping to take some of the pressure off Wolfgang, Hogan had followed Klink and now asked, "Feeling any older?"
"Just a day older," answered Wolfgang, acknowledging the gratitude he felt with a small nod and grin in Hogan's direction.
Newkirk stepped over now and handed Wolfgang a special party hat. "A hat for the birthday boy," he said.
Wolfgang accepted the hat and put it on his head. "Danke."
"All right, first we have a couple games planned," explained Newkirk. "First up, it was suggested we play Pin the Tail on the Donkey. As guest of honor, you get to go first." Newkirk glanced at Carter. "Carter." In response to his name, Carter came over, handed Wolfgang the paper tail, and proceeded to blindfold him. Meanwhile, Newkirk added, "For any guests who aren't familiar with the game, the blindfolded player tries to pin a tail like this one on that drawing of a donkey hanging on the wall over there. And the audience can give him clues to how close he is by calling out warm or cold he is."
Carter and Newkirk together spun Wolfgang around a bit, then stopped. "Good luck, mate," finished Newkirk, as Wolfgang started to walk towards where he believed the donkey should be. With the crowd shouting clues, Wolfgang continued until he finally stood before the drawing and jabbed the tail onto the donkey, very close to the proper spot.
"Jolly good," acknowledged Newkirk, as Wolfgang removed his blindfold.
More guests took their turn, pinning the tail they were handed to various spots on the donkey. When Carter had his turn, he pinned his right to the middle of the donkey's ear.
"Carter, I think you got the wrong end," Newkirk commented.
"Unless he thinks it can double as a cap," contributed LeBeau. Their comments led to chuckles from several of the guests.
"Let's see you do better," Carter responded.
"All right," agreed LeBeau, taking his turn. LeBeau succeeded in pinning the donkey's hind foot.
"At least you got the right end," Newkirk observed.
"Your turn," stated LeBeau, handing Newkirk a tail and proceeding to blindfold him.
In practically no time, Newkirk made his way towards the drawing and pinned the tail in a spot rivaling Wolfgang's proximity.
"You sure you couldn't see anything?" LeBeau wondered.
"I've played the game before…lots of times," Newkirk replied.
Klink went over for a closer look to compare Newkirk and Wolfgang's aims. "Me, me," begged Schultz, hoping to have the next turn.
"Okay, Schultzy," agreed LeBeau, as he prepared Schultz for his turn.
Newkirk took a couple steps closer to Hogan, who was standing nearby, and quietly asked, "Isn't Klink standing dangerously close to that picture?"
Hogan took a moment to glance at Klink, who was still engrossed in studying the tails pinned to the donkey. "I'm not going to tell him to move…are you?"
"Not me, Gov'nor," Newkirk decided.
Hearing the crowd shouting clues at Schultz caught Klink's attention. He took a step to the side of the drawing to watch as Schultz approached the donkey.
Schultz's aim was very close to the donkey's hindquarters as the crowd shouted how hot he was. As he pushed the pin forward, he turned slightly, jabbing the pin right into Klink's shoulder.
"SCHUUULTZ! You Dummkopf!" screamed Klink. "Do I look like a donkey?"
A flustered Schultz drew the tail back from Klink's shoulder, as he removed the blindfold from his own eyes. "I'm sorry, Herr Kommandant. I was blindfolded. I saw nothing."
"You see that without a blindfold," observed Klink.
"Unless we want to declare Schultz the winner, I'd say it was a draw between Wolfgang and Newkirk," proclaimed Hogan. "And it's time to set up for our next game."
"Right…Musical Chairs," announced Newkirk, as some of the prisoners started to position the crudely made stools in the center of the room.
Carter glanced around the room several times. "Hey, Schultz, you forgot to bring the record player from the recreation hall," he stated.
Schultz gazed at Klink. "He told me not to."
"I already have that covered," Klink declared, as he walked over to a spot near the door where he had set his violin case. Opening it, he pulled out his prized instrument.
Leaning closer to Hogan, Wolfgang quietly said, "Could add a whole new dimension to the game. From not being the last one standing to not being the last one out the door."
Newkirk, who was close enough to overhear, agreed. "He's got a point, Gov'nor."
"Nobody leaves," insisted Hogan. "And that's an order. Pass the word along."
"Could have a mutiny on your hands, sir," Newkirk warned him.
"And there will be a court-martial in the future of anyone who does," threatened Hogan.
"Right. I'll pass the word along," conceded Newkirk.
Both Newkirk and Wolfgang left to join the group at the stools. After nearly fifteen minutes of the guests suffering through Klink's noise, only one stool remained in the center of the room. Mama and Burkhalter were the only two remaining participants, as no one wanted to race them for a seat. Klink started to play once more and after the final note, Mama sat on the remaining stool and was declared the winner.
"Congratulations," acknowledged Burkhalter, as he stepped closer and offered Mama a hand up.
"Danke," Mama responded, accepting his help. "You know, General, Wilhelm has told us so much about you."
Burkhalter glared in Klink's direction. "Not that much," protested Klink.
"Klink! You better not have revealed any military secrets!" exclaimed Burkhalter, releasing Mama's arm and heading towards Klink.
"Who…me…" stammered Klink, his violin and bow still in hand. Klink started to back towards one of the bunks, Burkhalter following. "What's there to tell?" He spread his arms apart and started to raise them for emphasis. In doing so, he got the hand with his bow tangled up beneath the bedding near the foot of the upper bunk.
Burkhalter stepped closer. "You better not have…or next time you play that thing, you'll be needing gloves to keep your hands warm."
Klink tried to untangle his hand but only seemed to entangle it further. "General Burkhalter, you know me. I'm a loyal member of the Third Reich…and there's never been a successful escape from Stalag 13...not one."
"Klink, what's your escape record got to do with military secrets?" Burkhalter wondered.
"Nothing," answered Klink, still struggling to free his hand. "But why would I want to spoil my perfect record by--"
Wolfgang stepped up behind Klink and stopped near the center of the bunk. "Wilhelm would never reveal important information," he offered for support.
Burkhalter eyed Klink for a moment, then responded, "You're probably right. Who'd tell that bumbling idiot anything?"
Desperate to be free, Klink jerked his hand sharply and one could hear the bow crack. "Now look what you made me do," he stated. A gruff stare from Burkhalter led to a quick apology. "Sorry, General Burkhalter."
From where he was standing, Newkirk noticed what was holding the bedding down. To allow more floor space for the party, someone had placed their crate of firewood on the bunk. Klink's tugging had brought it precariously close to the front, inches from Wolfgang's head.
"Look out, mate!" warned Newkirk, rushing forward and tackling Wolfgang backwards onto the floor.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked a puzzled Wolfgang, seconds before a final tug from Klink brought the crate to the floor right where he had been standing. As the crate tipped over and its contents rolled out, Wolfgang quickly added, "Danke…mate."
"Your welcome," acknowledged Newkirk, with a smile as he reached down to give Wolfgang a hand up.
"Wolfgang, are you okay?" his worried mother asked, as she rushed over to join them.
"Ja, Mama. I fine," Wolfgang assured her.
Mama glared at Burkhalter. "My boys are good boys."
"Of course they are," Burkhalter muttered, not wanting to upset Mama.
Hoping to prevent the situation from escalating further, Hogan said, "I think it's time Wolfgang opened his presents."
Wolfgang nodded. "Ja, Mama. You know how curious I am about gifts."
Mama smiled affectionately at her son. "Ja, Wolfie. I do. Let's get to it then."
People gathered around a small table on which Wolfgang's gifts had been placed. They watched as Wolfgang picked up one, read the attached tag, and then gave the package a little shake. Finally, he ripped the paper off to discover what was inside.
While watching her son, Mama's eyes were diverted several times to where Newkirk was standing. She would gaze intently for a few moments, then turn her attention back to the birthday boy. Newkirk almost squirmed with uneasiness about what her scrutiny might mean.
When Wolfgang had finished with his presents, LeBeau walked over to the cake. "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for--especially Schultz--it's time to light the candles." LeBeau lit the candles and Baker turned out the lights.
Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday,' then Wolfgang blew out the several candles that had been placed on the cake to form the number forty-nine.
Baker turned the lights back on, and asked, "Did you make a wish?"
"Ja, I did," Wolfgang confirmed, as Lebeau cut the cake and handed him the first piece.
LeBeau continued to serve cake to the rest of the guests, while Carter served the punch.
"Make it extra big," insisted Mama, returning the cake LeBeau had given her.
"Of course, Mama," LeBeau conceded, as he cut and handed her a much larger piece.
Then, she got a full cup of punch from Carter. With her hands full, Mama walked over to where Newkirk was standing. "You're not such a bad boy after all," she declared, offering him the refreshments.
"Thank you, Frau Klink," acknowledged Newkirk, accepting her peace offering. "You're not so bad yourself."
He was rewarded with a smile from Mama. "You can call me 'Mama,' you know. Now, eat your cake like a good boy."
Newkirk grinned in return. "Whatever you say, Mama." As Newkirk picked up the fork and proceeded to obey, Mama gave him a final smile and nod approval, before returning for her own refreshments.
