Your father was a marine biologist who had recently captured a merman with his colleagues. Being able to visit his work, you could enter the huge aquarium that they kept.

The merman seemed stressed, swimming around in circles and looking for an exit. But then he saw you. He swam up to the glass cage and did something with his hands, he mouthed the word exit, hoping you would understand "E-X-I-T" he spelled, but you couldn't hear him