Ghosts of the Money Tree?

Too lazy to return to the bank and go through the whole procedure for the withdrawal of a couple NP, I decided to drop by the Money Tree instead. As usual, there was an enormous line and I was suddenly very thankful of the fact that I had decided to send my pets to the Neolodge for a couple of days. I needed to work, after all, and I felt bad just leaving them at our Neohome.

The line moved slowly yet surely and I entertained myself by watching the owners and pets at the Rainbow Pool. Allow me to recommend that. It's very fun to watch a plain Yellow Poogle be painted Snot. Then again, it's also kind of repulsive. But I digress.

Eventually the line pushed me to the mob surrounding the tree. It didn't get much better from there. Only when everything was gone did the mob move even a little, but then more donations appeared and people scrabbled to grab the 20 NP or broken plushie. It was total and utter chaos! You were lucky to get a pile of dung!

It was here, in the midst of all of this, that I saw something totally and utterly unsensible. It was a Quiggle Ghost! Clear as daylight! And it wasn't just a Quiggle PAINTED Ghost either! Oh, this was the real thing! It floated, it groaned, it had a weird smell, and it's eyes were as blank as a chalkboard in the summer!

But it wasn't the fact that there was an actual Quiggle Ghost floating around the Money Tree, it was the oddity of the creature taking a couple hundred NP and a Brightvale Berry!

I could nothing but stare, mouth agape, at where the creature had been just moments before, and that isn't the best thing to do in a crazed mob out for free stuff, as I soon learned. Some seconds later, I was out on the street, missing a sleeve to my Yes Boy Ice Cream shirt, and still wondering if what I had seen had actually occurred.

Obviously, I deduced it must have been so, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this article on the very incident now would I?

Apparently, Ghosts are seen at the Money Tree all of the time, but they aren't always taking. Sometimes, they are donating! But why? What is their motivation?

I believe we should first tackle where the Ghosts come from. Obviously they are the restless spirits of Neopets who have fallen victim to such creatures as the Spider Grundo or the notorious Shadow Usul. That or they just had an unfortunate experience in the Haunted Woods at one point or another. So why do they haunt the Money Tree? Or rather, why do they bother in gathering there?

You see, it doesn't seem to make sense because they are ghosts. As such, what use do they have of money? Or food? Or toys? Why do they take it? And where do they take it to?

After a little bit of research on Neopia's Ghosts, I have put together this scenario explaining the whole phenomena:

LUPE GHOST: Hey Guys! I've snagged a couple Half-Eaten Berries!

POOGLE GHOST: Awesome! That makes it fifty Half-Eaten Berries for us and only thirty-five for Quiggle and Chia Ghost!

QUIGGLE GHOST: That's a lie! We have forty-three! Chia Ghost just snagged some!

POOGLE GHOST: No no, he just DONATED some.

QUIGGLE GHOST: The fool! Now we're behind!

LUPE GHOST: Ah, don't feel bad, Quiggle Ghost! You are ahead of us in the NP!

QUIGGLE GHOST: No we aren't! Chia Ghost donated the whole lot this morning.

LUPE GHOST: Oh. Tough cookies then, eh?

You see, they take because they are in a contest against one another on who can reach a certain number of items before donating the whole lot of it! Actually, I just thought of that because of its absurdity, somewhat like the entire notion of ghosts taking and giving to the Money Tree altogether!

Perhaps the Ghosts are actually the minions to some bigger fiend. Like Hubrid Nox! Ah, yes, the ever notorious Hubrid Nox. After studying this hypothesis, I have compiled yet another scenario to make it easy for readers like you to understand the complexity of Hubrid's insidious plot:

HUBRID NOX: Bwahaha! I am pure genius! I have concocted yet another brilliant scheme to take over Neopia!

MINION #1: Yay!

MINION #2: Do tell, oh great and wonderful Hubrid of malicious Noxiousness!

HUBRID NOX: Heh, don't mind if I do! You see, I summon all of the Ghosts of Neopia (or else create a couple, bwaha!) and make them STEAL from the Money Tree! You see? No donations means poorer Neopia, and poorer Neopia means more sadness and weakness! That is when I will make my move!

MINION #1: What about the stores?

MINION #2: Yeah, there are plenty of other ways to get NP and items, Master of All Things Vile.

HUBRID NOX:.....SILENCE! *destroys Minions #1 and 2*

MINION #3: Uh...if you ask me, sire, I think your plan is brilliant!

HUBRID NOX: Why thank you, Minion #3. You deserve a cookie.

MINION #3: Yay!

You see? The only probable problem in the hypothesis is the fact that the Ghosts don't only TAKE, they give back too. So, after looking at all of the other possible reasons, I have created a theory that I feel might just be right. I can feel it in my bones!

My theory is that the Ghosts, in all of their malice, TAKE items that they have no use for and bring it back to their evil Ghost Lair. There, they put all of the "booty" in a big pile. Then I guess they Ghosts go haunt stuff and play cards or something. Then, when they get enough of their booty, they donate some back to the Money Tree, thus keeping a steady economy. Why do they donate it back? Well, you don't want stuff you don't need cluttering up your evil lair, do you? No, you should only want just enough to be evil, but not enough for it to be a nuisance.

Ghosts are essential! They are the missing link! Whenever the Money Tree is low on donations, the Ghosts take it upon themselves to donate until it isn't necessary anymore! Ah, yes, this is the key.

So the Ghosts are like nice packrats. But why do they do it? What do they gain? Perhaps they are just NICE restless, revenge-seeking spirits. Or maybe there is another, more sinister reason behind their relationship to Neopia Central's biggest attraction. Perhaps my Hubrid Nox theory is correct in more ways than one.

Well, I've laid down the playing field and shown my cards so if anyone has any better plays, don't afraid to share it! But until I see something better, I'm sticking with what I've got.

This has been Eripsa, the Eternal Detective, with yet another article questioning the conspiracies and abnormalities of Neopia.