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.