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.