£$†-~..... .....~-†$£
$†-~...... ......~-†$
†-~....... .......~-†
-~........ ........~-
~......... .........~
-~........ ...†... ........~-
†-~....... 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 .......~-†
$†-~...... FOR A SECOND TIME, STARS HAD HATCHED IN ......~-†$
£$†-~..... THEM... .....~-†$£
#£$†-~.... ....~-†$£#
@#£$†-~... ...~-†$£#@
#@#£$†-~.. ..~-†$£#@#
##@#£$†-~. .~-†$£#@##
#@#£$†-~.. ..~-†$£#@#