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.