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.