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.