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.