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.