Damon looked around. The table was big and rather high. Could he jump from on high like that? He was a frog now, so probably. But was it doable? What if his estimation was wrong? He certainly did not want to be a frog with a broken leg! And were would he go? Back into the wilderness? To the pond? Outside, where all corners could contain predators like snakes, cranes, owls, ferrets and other horrid creatures with sharp teeth and claws? It was safer here. Relatively speaking... And who knew, maybe this witch WAS nice and kinds. She gave no indication that she was holding malevolent intentions towards him.
And the witch did return, holding a small terrarium, filled with twigs, grass, leaves and a little hole filled with mud and water. She placed it on the table with a large toothless smile.
"There! A bit small but you'll be fine there for now," she said, picking up Damon and plopping him into his new lodgings.
Damon hopped around, examining his new home. Sure, there were no lily pads or large areas of slime but it had no predators so just that made him feel a lot better. It would be a definite improvement. The witch observed him and asked him to answer her questions with a nod or croak, respectively for "yes" or "no". Thanks to this rudimentary system of communication, the witch figured out the frog she'd rescued had been indeed a human not too long before. With a lot og guessing, she figured out Damon had been transformed into a frog by a genie. She sighed.
"A wish gone bad, eh? Doesn’t surprise me whatsoever. Genies are known for being incredibly tricky. And for having a sense of humor few decent people would find funny. You're not the first, nor won’t you be the last."
This made Damon feel better.
"I might help you out. Genie magic is rather different from a witch's but my grimoires might possess the right spells. In the meantime, you can remain here," the witch said pensively.
She then places a cover with holes on Damon's home.
"There. I have a cat that comes by sometimes. Better keep you safe from these awful danger you've certainly had to contend with for too long. No need to replace them with a playful or hungry cat! Oh, and if you get hungry."
She let a few wood lice drop into the terrarium and went away to study her books of the magical arts in another room. Damon decided not to eat the damn invertebrates he had to share the terrarium with unless he was getting desperately hungry. Yet hope flared within him. Soon he'd be human once more!