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.