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.