%=:~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~:=%
=:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:=
:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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. ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨