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.