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.