Squirming, worming, wriggling. Deep in the murk and the mire. How long had I been here? The pool was too deep for light to enter. Day or night or rain or shine, it was all the same. Why the witch had left me my sentience in this loathsome scaled body, only cruelty and deep, dark hatred could explain.

Even if my eyes could adjust to the environment, I had a horrible feeling the witch had blinded me. But What difference did it make? I’m going no-where. Please god let her have given me an invertebrate bottom feeder lifespan, at least… not that I was sure what that might be…

Lesson learnt though - don’t cross a witch.

It had started so innocently… I just wanted a love potion. But she had gone on and on about how fragile is love and how real love can’t be conjured. Like I don’t know about real love? Every time I see her my heart jumps into my mouth, my stomach turns into a million butterflies, and my member swells to an inconvenient size.

So I took her cat.

I didn’t mean to hurt it, but the bloody thing just scratched and fought and bit like, well, like an angry cat I suppose. In my efforts to restrain it I had broken its neck!

I tried to hide it… I placed the body on the road and watched as a cart ran it down. But she KNEW. How did she know, she was a witch… Not God.

That night, Sophie came to me. Her lips full and red, her eyes dreamy with love and lust, for me! I welcomed her into my arms, kissing her lips and stroking her lustrous hair. Maybe the witch had decided I deserved my love potion after all.

I wrapped myself around her soft body, unable to believe that my dream had finally come true. And she welcomed me into herself. It was all I had ever dreamt of, warm, soft, wet, and welcoming. I thrust once, twice, three times!

Congratulating myself for my performance, I exploded into her, and her face transformed into that of the cackling hag! I pushed her from me and she leapt to her feet, rage emanating from the tips of her pointy boots to the pimpled great wart on the end of her nose. The air thickened,swirling purple clouds of pure vengeance surrounding us both as she summoned the forces of darkness and directed them at my prone, naked, sweat drenched form.

I felt my skin compressing my organs, my limbs shrinking, bones cracking and splintering in agonising slowness, my body depleting to this tiny, useless form. The last thing I saw was her haggard, wrinkly hand reaching towards me.

And now… here I am. For how long? Forever, I guess, whatever forever may be for me.