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.