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.