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.