@$$$=*^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^*=$$$@
##@§$=*~^¨ ¨^~*=$§@##
#§=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=§#
##@§$=*~^¨ ¨^~*=$§@##
##@§$=*~^¨ ¨^~*=$§@##
@$$*~~^¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨^~~*$$@
###@§$=*^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^*=$§@###
##@§$=*~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ELVES LIVE IN THE LAND ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~*=$§@##
##@§$=*~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEYOND THE GREAT DAM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~*=$§@##
#@$$**^^¨¨ ~ IT WAS BUILT IN THE LATE SIXTIES. ~ ¨¨^^**$$@#
###@§$=*^¨ ~ ~ ~ THE ELVES CAME TO US THEN. ~ ~ ~ ¨^*=$§@###
@$*^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^*$@
#@§$==*~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~*==$§@#
##@§$=*~^¨ THEY WERE VERY MANIPULATIVE, AND WE ¨^~*=$§@##
§$*~~^^¨¨¨ CAME TO TRUST THEM. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ US ¨¨¨^^~~*$§
§=*~~~^¨¨¨ 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. ~ ¨^~*=§@###
##@§$=*~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~*=$§@##
§§=~^¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨^~=§§
§§$=~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~=$§§
##@§$=*~^¨ ¨^~*=$§@##
§§====*~^¨ ¨^~*====§§
§§§=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=§§§
§=***~^^^¨ ¨^^^~***=§