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~-........ ...†... ........-~
†~-....... NAFTAKIN, THE BLIND .......-~†
§†~-...... ...†... ......-~†§
%§†~-..... .....-~†§%
§%§†~-.... A STUDENT AT THE CHARCOAL GUILD... HIS ....-~†§%§
@§%§†~-... EYES SEWN SHUT FROM BIRTH... THE MOST ...-~†§%§@
@@§%§†~-.. SUCCESSFUL STUDENT ..-~†§%§@@
#@@§%§†~-. .-~†§%§@@#
@@§%§†~-.. BUT ONE DAY HE FELL DOWN INTO A CRYSTAL ..-~†§%§@@
@§%§†~-... CAVERN. IT WAS DEEP IN THE MOUNTAIN, A ...-~†§%§@
§%§†~-.... GREAT HALL WITH ONLY A SINGLE TINY ....-~†§%§
%§†~-..... INLET FOR BOTH LIGHT AND FALLING .....-~†§%
§†~-...... STUDENTS... ......-~†§
†~-....... .......-~†
~-........ IN THE FALL, THE QUARTZ SLICED OFF THE ........-~
-......... THREADS IN HIS EYES, OPENING THEM FOR .........-
.......... THE FIRST TIME. BEFORE HIM, THE ..........
.......... CRYSTALS MIRRORED AND REFRACTED THE ONE ..........
.......... LIGHT SMIDGE INTO A WHOLE NIGHT SKY, ..........
-......... AND HE WAS STRUCK DOWN WITH AWE .........-
~-........ ........-~
†~-....... BUT ALSO WITH SHAME, BECAUSE HIS EYES .......-~†
§†~-...... HAD SEEN. HURRIEDLY, HE USED THREAD ......-~†§
%§†~-..... FROM HIS ROBE TO SEW THEM BACK .....-~†§%
§%§†~-.... TOGETHER, AND WHEN HELP CAME HE DID NOT ....-~†§%§
@§%§†~-... TELL OF HIS TRANSGRESSION. ...-~†§%§@
@@§%§†~-.. ..-~†§%§@@
#@@§%§†~-. FOR YEARS HE STUDIED AT THE GUILD. HE .-~†§%§@@#
@@§%§†~-.. BECAME A MASTER, AND THEN A PILGRIM. ..-~†§%§@@
@§%§†~-... YET THE IMAGE FROM THE CAVE NEVER LEFT ...-~†§%§@
§%§†~-.... HIM. ....-~†§%§
%§†~-..... .....-~†§%
§†~-...... AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, WHEN AT THE ......-~†§
†~-....... EDGE OF THE WORLD HE OPENED HIS EYES .......-~†
~-........ FOR A SECOND TIME, STARS HAD HATCHED IN ........-~
-......... THEM... .........-
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