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.