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.