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.