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.