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.