^.........                                          .........^
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                  ...^...                 ..........
..........           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...                 .^~^*&£@##
#@£&*^~^..                                          ..^~^*&£@#
@£&*^~^...                                          ...^~^*&£@
£&*^~^....                                          ....^~^*&£
&*^~^.....                                          .....^~^*&
*^~^......                                          ......^~^*