Serpent's Secrets

Berto's Ice Cream - Chapter 1

"Berto!" I called, "We've got three more orders for Rasberry Ripple large-tub edition." Berto has always supplied ice-cream-vans. It's what he does. As I wrote down the order for him I began to hum the last van that visited the shop's tune.

"Berto? when is Lizzie due back?"

"Not for a while, why do you think I put that advertisment in the window?" It was only me, Berto, Lizzie and a couple of kitchen staff, Lizzie had gone to find herself in the supposed wilds of sweden for 'some time' so we were seriously short of staff.

Through the shop window I saw him. A tall young man with short, dark hair. He wore a thin T-shirt (although it was cold), a leather jscket slung over his shoulder. An amulet hung around his neck, I couldn't see what it was. To my surprise he looked at the sighn in the window, and opened the door. He smiled at me,

"Hi, I am here for the job." As he spoke he rolled his r's like a cat's purr. The accent he spoke with was both exotic and beautiful.

"Oh, er, yes. Um. Berto's through the back."

"What's your name?" he asked, "I'm Talio."

"Lillian."

"Berto's through there."

"You already said that," Talio smiled. This misterious boy with dark hair a voice like silk had a name. Talio, I had a feeling I'd be working with him for a while.

He is posdibly the most lovey-dovey novel-like situation I have ever been in I thought, watching him dissapear through the beaded curtian. I scrubbed the desk, pondering the enevetability of this stranger getting the job. "You must be Burto, nice to meet you,"