###*%=~^¨¨ ¨¨^~=%*###
##*%=~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~=%*##
#*%=~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~=%*#
*%=~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~=%*
%=~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~=%
=~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~=
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
=~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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. ~ ¨¨^~=%*###
##*%=~^¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨^~=%*##
#*%=~^¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨^~=%*#
*%=~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~=%*
%=~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~=%
=~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~=
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
=~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~=