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.