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.