&$$$$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$$$$&
@$:,,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,,:$@
##@&$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$&@##
#@$$:,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,:$$@#
##@&$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$&@##
##@&$*:~,¨ ¨¨¨:¨¨¨ ¨,~:*$&@##
@@@&$*:~,¨ NAFTAKIN, THE BLIND ¨,~:*$&@@@
@@$:~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~:$@@
@@@&$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$&@@@
###@&$*:~¨ A STUDENT AT THE CHARCOAL GUILD... HIS ¨~:*$&@###
#@$:~,¨¨¨¨ EYES SEWN SHUT FROM BIRTH... THE MOST ¨¨¨¨,~:$@#
##@&$*:~,¨ SUCCESSFUL STUDENT ¨,~:*$&@##
@&*::,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,::*&@
#&&&$*:~,¨ BUT ONE DAY HE FELL DOWN INTO A CRYSTAL ¨,~:*$&&
&$$*~~¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨~*$$$@
##@&$*:~,¨ FROM HIS ROBE TO SEW THEM BACK ¨,~:*$&@##
##@&$*:~,¨ TOGETHER, AND WHEN HELP CAME HE DID NOT ¨,~:*$&@##
##@&$*:~,¨ TELL OF HIS TRANSGRESSION. ¨,~:*$&@##
##@&$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$&@##
##@&$*:~,¨ FOR YEARS HE STUDIED AT THE GUILD. HE ¨,~:*$&@##
#@@&$*:~,¨ BECAME A MASTER, AND THEN A PILGRIM. ¨,~:*$&@@#
#&$:,¨¨¨¨¨ YET THE IMAGE FROM THE CAVE NEVER LEFT ¨¨¨¨¨,:$
&&**~~~¨¨¨ HIM. ¨¨¨~~~**&&
##@&$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$&@##
##@&$*:~,¨ AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, WHEN AT THE ¨,~:*$&@##
@$$$$*:~,¨ EDGE OF THE WORLD HE OPENED HIS EYES ¨,~:*$$$$@
&**~,¨¨¨¨¨ FOR A SECOND TIME, STARS HAD HATCHED IN ¨¨¨¨¨,~**&
&&*:::~¨¨¨ THEM... ¨¨¨~:::*&&
##@&$*:~,¨ ¨,~:*$&@##
###@&$:~,¨ ¨,~:$&@###
@$*:,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,:*$@
@$$$:,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,:$$$@
@$$$:,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,:$$$@