#¤¤¤$†^~:, ,:~^†$¤¤¤#
¤†~~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~~†¤
####¤$^~:, ,:~^$¤####
###¤$†^~:, ,:~^†$¤###
####$†^~:, ,:~^†$####
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
¤$$†††^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†††$$¤
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ELVES LIVE IN THE LAND ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ BEYOND THE GREAT DAM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
¤¤$††^^~:, ~ IT WAS BUILT IN THE LATE SIXTIES. ~ ,:~^^††$¤¤
#$^:,,,,,, ~ ~ ~ THE ELVES CAME TO US THEN. ~ ~ ~ ,,,,,,:^$#
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, THEY WERE VERY MANIPULATIVE, AND WE ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, CAME TO TRUST THEM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ US ,:~^†$¤###
¤†^~~,,,,, 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. ~ ~ ~ ~ ,,,,:~††¤¤
#¤$†^~:,,, ~ ~ ~ ~ BEFORE THE DAM OPENED AGAIN, ,,,:~^†$¤#
##¤¤$†^~:, THERE WOULD BE A SIGNAL, BUT THE ELVES ,:~^†$¤¤##
###¤$†^~:, WOULD MAKE US NOT HEAR IT, AND SUDDENLY ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, WE WOULD FIND THE WATER RISING, ALREADY ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, AT OUR KNEES. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ~ BY THEN THE ELVES WOULD BE GONE. ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ,:~^†$¤###
¤$^^~,,,,, ,,,,,~^^$¤
###¤$†^~:, ,:~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~:, ,:~^†$¤###