Damon was so excited to swim and enjoying his fantastic merman body that he forgot any sense of time, or any sense of real events. He loved swimming with such ease. It was like flying! And not having to breathe any air on the surface only made it better! Damon swam wherever he wished, turning, tumbling, and flipping his green tail happily. He twisted and turned, feeling more free than he had ever felt in his entire life. He observed the marine wildlife around him, marvelled at all its organic treasures and felt for it a passion he never possessed before. It was all so enchanting!
As he swam in a random fashion across a wonderfully beautiful coral reef next to a lagoon, he saw a cave from which intense lighting was flashing. Intrigued, he peered inside and was astonished at seeing another merman. Or rather, a mermaid. She was skinny, too skinny, skeletal or almost, even. She had a tail that was a dull red and shaped a little like a shark. She was surrounded by trinkets and phials and cauldron in a large cave. She suddenly turned around and smiled as a shark would at Damon.
"Hello, young one. You are new here, am I right?"
"Er... I mean... Yes?..." stammered the young merman, a bit at a loss.
"Ha!" said the sea witch. "I knew so. And I can guess through my powers that you are not true merfolk. Indeed, you were a human not too long ago."
"Yes, but I love being a merman," said Damon hurriedly so as to justify himself.
"Indeed," said slowly the sea witch. "And it's a whole new world for you. You are a fraud for now, so let me make things easier for you."
She blasted Damon with a spell, so suddenly that he had no time to react, let alone call the genie for help. He was surrounded by a blast of light and then darkness.