[Isalynne]

The cold was always biting over the carnival grounds, but Arlen could always ward it off.

A fire was lit to the side of his stall - medium in size, guarded to keep wandering children from injuring themselves in the flames. The glow and flicker of light bounced off of the shimmering fabrics and garlands strung all around, over trees and attractions and people. Otherworldly. The man's own get up was no less loud, his hair braided into an elaborate plait dotted with flowers and his eyes lined heavily with kohl.

A small crowd was beginning to gather in front of him. He couldn't contain his joyous expression.

[Isalynne]

A row of curious parents stood watch in the background, but the majority of his eager, crowding audience were children, murmuring and giggling among themselves. Their excitement was palpable. The magic of the carnival at night was like a drug to the young mind, filling it with new colours and sounds and smells - constantly invigorating them, coaxing them to continue and absorb more.

His machine was heating up. It was standard to warm it before anything really started, to ensure that there would be no mishaps or difficulty once he started spinning. It would be a travesty to see disappointment on those sweet little faces. All of this was for them, after all. Night after night.

It kept him going, even when he wanted to stop.

[Isalynne]

Arlen craned his neck, looking out around the grounds for any signs of his boss. The Ringmaster was hard to miss, with his gaudy red-and-gold coat and jet black top hat, not to mention his eerie and unfortunate grin - even without seeing him, even the most unremarkable of souls would be able to sense the uncomfortable weight of his presence. No sign as of yet. The fire was still crackling merrily, and the children were smiling.

Time to get the show on the road.

"Does anyone here like rabbits?" His voice was low but enthusing, warm enough to sound friendly. A few glances were passed back and forth between the kids before a few found the courage to nod. "Yeah? Me too. I'm gonna make a bunny for you."

[Isalynne]

A little silver scoop full of sugar poured into the centre of the machine was all it took to get the job started. Arlen picked up one of the slim wooden sticks from his supply, decorated in black and silver, and began to spin around the circumference of the drum. The fine white floss began to form within seconds - an audible gasp from the children brought an amused smile to his face.

"Like magic, right?" He said, glancing up at the small crowd with a grin. "This is just his head. White like a bunny, right? Like a magician's bunny."

There was no pulling it out of a top hat, but it was still making a good impression.

[Isalynne]

The fluffy, soft body of the bunny, a round ball of candy floss, was soon formed and ready to be put aside to wait for its other features. Arlen held it up to his face, and gave it a puzzled look - a few of the children giggled at his silly expression. If his heart was capable of glowing, he was sure it would have.

"You look strange, Mr. Bunny," He announced. More and more smiles were visible among the little ones. "No ears, no tail.. and no face! You can't listen if you have no ears, can you?"

With a derisive shake of his head, he set the stick of floss aside in a holder.

[Isalynne]

"What colour shall I make his ears?" Arlen asked in a contemplative tone, making a show of lifting his tray of coloured sugars. His exaggerated actions would hopefully make it clear to the children that he wanted a response from them. It had the desired effect - a few murmured voices at first, and then a handful bold enough to shout out.

"Pink! Pink ears!"

"No! Bunnies don't have pink ears. Blue ears!"

"How about both?" He beamed as he spoke; it was amusing to see their shock, as if they had never heard of anything so scandalous as mismatching colours. Another stick was taken up, along with a scoop of pink sugar, and soon he was whirring away.

[Isalynne]

The floss was wound lower down on the stick and not as thickly to give it a long, bunny ear shaped appearance. Arlen poked his tongue out as he worked in his typical way - he didn't notice that he was doing it, but it garnered a few more amused titters from his audience, and that was always good. Soon, it had taken shape, and he pulled it from the machine.

"Here's one!" Gently, he poked the end of the stick through one side of the white ball of floss. The pink ear was fiddled with briefly until he was satisfied with the way it had settled; only then did he step aside and show the work to the crowd. "Now he can half hear us. He needs another one, doesn't he?"

[Isalynne]

Rinse and repeat. Arlen sprinkled the blue sugar into the drum, as always, and began his work over again. Midway through his work, he began to feel that creeping, nagging dread washing over him - the sign that the Ringmaster was nearby and watching. He wouldn't let it bother him. Determination would pull him through without a hitch.

The ear wasn't quite as perfect as the first, but it was passable, and the children didn't seem to mind in the least when it was pinned into place. He held the floss up to let everyone see it clearly. There was something spooky to him about that stage, when it didn't yet have a face, but no one else was bothered.

"Okay, now we give him some eyes and a nose!"

[Isalynne]

It wasn't anything particularly special, finishing off the bunny. The eyes and nose were simple black candies, stuck to the floss to give them the desired appearance. Even so, they had a transformative effect, making it look more like an animal than a few lumps of sugar poked together. When he turned it to face the audience, there were excited squeals and coos - their reactions to the finished product were always his favourite.

"And here's our bunny! He's a yummy bunny," He laughed, leaning over the stall counter to offer it to a small boy in the front. The child reached out with shy, trembling hands and took the stick; the floss was almost as big as his head. "Does anyone else want one? Time to convince your mums and dads!"

The amiable laughter from the grown-ups was a comfort. He had been shouted down before for encouraging someone's kids.

[Isalynne]

The crowd thinned somewhat when it became clear that the one and only freebie had been given out, but Arlen remained cheery, content to craft his sugar creations for those waiting in line. The oppressive sensation of his boss' presence would not leave him, however. He knew that the man was lurking somewhere. Watching. Waiting to come down on him for even the slightest mistake.

A flash of an impossibly white smile a few meters away gave up the Ringmaster's location. Stalking like a wild cat, easily carving a path through the crowd without having to say a word. Magnetic and yet repulsive to the eye. Enough to make the children hold onto their parents' hands a little tighter.

If only he wasn't there.