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.