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.