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.