........^=                                          =^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                 ...†...                  ..........
..........           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...                 ¤%^†=^....
.....^=†^%                                          %^†=^.....
......^=†^                                          ^†=^......
.......^=†                                          †=^.......
........^=                                          =^........
.........^                                          ^.........