..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~=                                          =~........
.......~=*                                          *=~.......
......~=*$                (EQUISETUM)               $*=~......
.....~=*$¤                                          ¤$*=~.....
....~=*$¤@                                          @¤$*=~....
...~=*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*=~...
..~=*$¤@##        ..~=~.. THE PLANT ..~=~..         ##@¤$*=~..
...~=*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*=~...
....~=*$¤@ THE  EQUISETUM  IS A  PLANT  MUCH  OLDER @¤$*=~....
.....~=*$¤ THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH ¤$*=~.....
......~=*$ OLDER  THAN MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN $*=~......
.......~=* TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY *=~.......
........~=               TRANSPARENT.               =~........
.........~                                          ~.........
.......... THE PLANT HAS A SPINE.  EACH VERTEBRA IS ..........
.......... STACKED UPON  THE  NEXT,  WITH SPOKELIKE ..........
.......... RIBS  RADIATING  OUTWARD. EVEN SO,  IT'S ..........
.......... VERY LIGHT,  BEING  HOLLOW. IT'S ROUGHLY ..........
.......... THE  HEIGHT OF A  FOXES TAIL, AND SHARES ..........
..........            A SIMILAR PLUMAGE.            ..........
..........                                          ..........
.......... IT  LIKES PARTIAL  SHADE  AND VERY  DAMP ..........
..........                  AREAS                   ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~=         ..~=~.. IN MAGIC ..~=~..         =~........
.......~=*                                          *=~.......
......~=*$ WHEN A  COLONY  NUMBERS HIGH ENOUGH,  IT $*=~......
.....~=*$¤ SLICES  THE  AIR  IN  THE   FOREST  INTO ¤$*=~.....
....~=*$¤@ SEPARATE  PLANES,  A FEW  CENTIMETERS IN @¤$*=~....
...~=*$¤@# HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN  GET  DIFFRACTED   IN #@¤$*=~...
..~=*$¤@## THESE,   HITTING  EACH  IN  TURN   IN  A ##@¤$*=~..
...~=*$¤@#       SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND      #@¤$*=~...
....~=*$¤@          EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.         @¤$*=~....
.....~=*$¤                                          ¤$*=~.....
......~=*$                                          $*=~......
.......~=*                                          *=~.......
........~=                                          =~........
.........~                                          ~.........