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...