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.