##¶§$^*~~¨ ¨~~*^$§¶##
¶¶¶§$^*~~¨ ¨~~*^$§¶¶¶
##¶§$^*~~¨ ¨~~*^$§¶##
¶¶$***~~~¨ ¨~~~***$¶¶
§^^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^^§
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
¶¶§$^^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^^$§¶¶
###§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ELVES LIVE IN THE LAND ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§###
§§$^*~~~¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEYOND THE GREAT DAM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨~~~*^$§§
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ IT WAS BUILT IN THE LATE SIXTIES. ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ THE ELVES CAME TO US THEN. ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
§$$^^~¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨~^^$$§
¶$^~~~~~¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨~~~~~^$¶
#§§$*~~~¨¨ THEY WERE VERY MANIPULATIVE, AND WE ¨¨~~~*$§§#
##¶§$^*~~¨ CAME TO TRUST THEM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ US ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ KIDS WOULD PLAY DOWN AT THE WATER EVEN ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ THOUGH WE WERE NOT ALLOWED. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ SOMETIMES THE SLUICE WOULD CLOSE ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ ENTIRELY, AND THE RIVER AT THE DAMS ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ FOOT WOULD DRY UP, REVEALING THE ROCKY ¨~~*^$§¶##
#¶¶§$^*~~¨ WATER GARDEN THAT HAD BEEN HIDDEN ¨~~*^$§¶¶#
§$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ BENEATH, AND WE WOULD GO THERE. ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$§
#¶$$^~¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEFORE THE DAM OPENED AGAIN, ¨¨¨¨~^$$¶#
¶$^^**~~~¨ THERE WOULD BE A SIGNAL, BUT THE ELVES ¨~~~**^^$¶
#§^~~¨¨¨¨¨ WOULD MAKE US NOT HEAR IT, AND SUDDENLY ¨¨¨¨¨~~^§#
¶§^^^~¨¨¨¨ WE WOULD FIND THE WATER RISING, ALREADY ¨¨¨¨~^^^§¶
§^~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AT OUR KNEES. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~^§
###§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§###
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ BY THEN THE ELVES WOULD BE GONE. ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
##¶§$^*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*^$§¶##
¶¶$**~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~**$¶¶
##¶§$^*~~¨ ¨~~*^$§¶##
§$^~~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~~^$§
§§$$*~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~*$$§§
###¶$^*~~¨ ¨~~*^$¶###