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.