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.