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.