....^~*%¤¤                                          ¤¤%*~^....
...^~*%¤¤#                                          #¤¤%*~^...
..^~*%¤¤##                                          ##¤¤%*~^..
.^~*%¤¤###                                          ###¤¤%*~^.
..^~*%¤¤##                                          ##¤¤%*~^..
...^~*%¤¤# ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #¤¤%*~^...
....^~*%¤¤ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¤¤%*~^....
.....^~*%¤ ~  ~ ~  ~ 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.  ~ %*~^......
.......^~* ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ *~^.......
........^~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........^                                          ^.........