##@§~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~§@##
###@%§†~~¨ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†§%@###
##@§~~~~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ELVES LIVE IN THE LAND ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~~~~§@##
##%†~~¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEYOND THE GREAT DAM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨~~†%##
@@§§§§†~~¨ ~ IT WAS BUILT IN THE LATE SIXTIES. ~ ¨~~†§§§§@@
#@§§~~~¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ THE ELVES CAME TO US THEN. ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨~~~§§@#
###@%§†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†§%@###
#@%†~¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨~†%@#
###@%§†~~¨ THEY WERE VERY MANIPULATIVE, AND WE ¨~~†§%@###
##%§~~~¨¨¨ CAME TO TRUST THEM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ US ¨¨¨~~~§%##
###@%§†~~¨ KIDS WOULD PLAY DOWN AT THE WATER EVEN ¨~~†§%@###
#%%§††~~¨¨ THOUGH WE WERE NOT ALLOWED. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨~~††§%%#
###@%§†~~¨ ~ ~ SOMETIMES THE SLUICE WOULD CLOSE ¨~~†§%@###
@@§†~~~~~¨ ENTIRELY, AND THE RIVER AT THE DAMS ¨~~~~~†§@@
###@%§†~~¨ FOOT WOULD DRY UP, REVEALING THE ROCKY ¨~~†§%@###
#%††~~¨¨¨¨ WATER GARDEN THAT HAD BEEN HIDDEN ¨¨¨¨~~††%#
###@%§†~~¨ BENEATH, AND WE WOULD GO THERE. ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEFORE THE DAM OPENED AGAIN, ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ THERE WOULD BE A SIGNAL, BUT THE ELVES ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ WOULD MAKE US NOT HEAR IT, AND SUDDENLY ¨~~†§%@###
#@§§~~~~~¨ WE WOULD FIND THE WATER RISING, ALREADY ¨~~~~~§§@#
###@%§†~~¨ AT OUR KNEES. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†§%@###
#%%%†~~¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨~~†%%%#
####@%§†~~ ~ BY THEN THE ELVES WOULD BE GONE. ~ ~~†§%@####
###@%§†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†§%@###
@§~~~¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨~~~§@
###@%§†~~¨ ¨~~†§%@###
###@%§†~~¨ ¨~~†§%@###
##%†††~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~†††%##
@%%%§§†~~¨ ¨~~†§§%%%@
@%§†~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~†§%@