Cleave: A Six Sentence Story

Customers at the counter only knew him as the seemingly simple-minded man who swept the floors and took out the trash, but Rocco, Vittorio and the others in the shop knew Louie was much more than that.

Louie's methods were unorthodox, but effective, and when they were needed, as they were today, Rocco was always notified first; he would then open a door and raise his eyebrows at Vittorio, who was in the back room punching numbers into the adding machine.

Vittorio rose from his desk and walked casually toward the sound of Louie's broom brushing across the old floorboards; it would never do to startle Louie when he was focused on any task. The sweeping motions slowed to a stop, and Louie raised his face to Vittorio's, looking hopefully at him, and when Vittorio nodded slightly, it brought a spark to Louie's usually dull eyes as they slipped quietly into the back of the shop and got to work.

The cleaver was kept clean and sharp and locked away, and when Vittorio handed it to Louie, saying, "We need a Louie Special," Louie's big hands closed around the handle, and his eyes gleamed as he brought the blade down, neatly severing the head before continuing to strike with the sharp instrument.

It was all over in a matter of a few minutes, and by the time Mrs. Moretti reached the counter of the shop, Rocco already had the Louie Special neatly packaged and ready to place in her hands, greeting her with a cheerful, "Two pints of cole slaw for you, Mrs. Moretti, and never fresher!"

Linking up with Ivy at Uncharted for Six Sentence Stories with the prompt "cleave."