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.