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.