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.