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.