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.