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.