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.