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.