###@$=^~^¨ ¨^~^=$@###
¤$$^^^^~^¨ ¨^~^^^^$$¤
##@¤$=^~^¨ ¨^~^=$¤@##
¤$=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=$¤
##@¤$=^~^¨ ¨^~^=$¤@##
#@¤===^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^===¤@#
###¤$=^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$¤###
##@¤$=^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ELVES LIVE IN THE LAND ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$¤@##
##@¤$=^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEYOND THE GREAT DAM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$¤@##
¤=^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ 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 ¨^~~^==¤@#
##@¤$=^~^¨ WE WOULD FIND THE WATER RISING, ALREADY ¨^~^=$¤@##
##@¤$=^~^¨ AT OUR KNEES. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$¤@##
@@¤¤$=^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$¤¤@@
###@¤$=~^¨ ~ BY THEN THE ELVES WOULD BE GONE. ~ ¨^~=$¤@###
###@$=^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$@###
###@$=^~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~^=$@###
@@@¤$=^~^¨ ¨^~^=$¤@@@
¤$=~~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~~=$¤
@$^~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~^$@
@$^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^$@
#¤¤=^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^=¤¤#