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.