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.