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.