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.