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.