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.