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.