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.