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.