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.