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.