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.