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.