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.