#@#=~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~=#@#
#@@#&=\~^¨ ¨^~\=&#@@#
@&&===\~^¨ ¨^~\===&&@
###@#&=\~^ ^~\=&#@###
@@@#&=\~^¨ ¨^~\=&#@@@
####&=\~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~\=&####
##@#&=\~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~\=&#@##
##@#&=\~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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. ~ ¨^~~~~~=&#
@#&&\\~~^¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨^~~\\&&#@
@&\~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~\&@
###@#=\~^¨ ¨^~\=#@###
##&\~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~\&##
##@#&=\~^¨ ¨^~\=&#@##
#=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=#
##&&==\~^¨ ¨^~\==&&##