The Life and Times of the Money Tree

But when you come to think about it, it’s not the Money Tree itself that provides the free goods and Neopoints, but Neopians like you and I. So really, the Money Tree has nothing to do with it at all. It’s just a landmark. A meeting point. Right? Wrong.

In all honesty, as kind as we are when we donate goods and Neopoints for the needy, it’s the presence Money Tree that drives us to do these things. Think about it. If the Money Tree wasn’t there, where would we go to donate? The majority of us are far too busy with our own plans of world dominat- erm…far too busy with our own plans to go out of our way to donate. But as we rush too and from the many attractions in Neopia Central, no doubt we’ll pass the Money Tree at some point during the day. And it is the simplicity of merely stopping to drop off an unwanted item, or just dig out a few Neopoints, that compels us to donate.

So, now we know why it’s there. But do we truly appreciate the Money Tree? All day and night long it stays in position, guarding its gifts, fending off greedy people, watching the happenings of its surroundings, and constantly being bombarded with appearances from those pesky wandering ghosts. It is no mere shrub.

Life is unimaginable for the Money Tree. Not necessarily in a bad way, just different from anything we could possibly experience.

What’s that I hear you ask? How? Fear not, I have the answers!

Enough with the sentimental chapter. I think it’s time to hear about the brighter side of the Money Tree’s life! The things it has experienced are countless, but if you really want to know, I’ll get you up to date on the life and times of the Money Tree!

Day after day after day the Money Tree sits and watches the comings and goings of its visitors. No doubt it’s seen some quirky characters in its lifetime. Sadly, when I tried to question it about this, it refused to talk to me and sent me away. I have no idea why, but I’ve narrowed it down to two reasons: a) It doesn’t like talking to people, or b) It does like talking to people, just not ones that reek of dung because they’ve spent the morning picking berries. Totally discriminatory if you ask me, but it happens. *sigh* Anyway, to make sure I guaranteed my readers a full view on the life and times of the Money Tree, I decided to set up camp behind a cleverly disguised rock (which was disguised as a rock, funnily enough) and observe. After a full days worth of observing, I noted many strange visitors. Two of them stood out particularly. One was a tall, hulking figure that was carrying two white boxes. Strangely, he only donated one, before loping away, muttering excitedly about “revenge” and “victory”. I have no idea what he was on about.

What's that you say? Doctor Sloth?! No, no, of course it wasn’t. Don’t be ridiculous. Erm…if a mysterious white box turns up at your Neohome, I would suggest not opening it. Just as a precaution. *clears throat*

The second slightly odd visitor was quite a sight. The first thing I noticed was the deep, gravely voice. I peeked out from my rock-disguised-as-a-rock, expecting to see a mutant Neopet, or maybe even a ghost. But no, it was just a pink Lupe. Quite contrary, if you ask me. :)

The Money Tree is lucky enough to witness daily the joy on people’s faces as they pick a donation. It’s no wonder it’s always smiling! Imagine how great it must be to be a place of happiness for so many Neopians. However, not all of the Money Tree’s time is sunshine and daisies. Every now and then, those awful ghosts turn up to wreck havoc. Either they come with stolen goods to “donate” (because they’re “so kind”, they insist), or they snatch treasures from the Money Tree itself, before zooming away, cackling. Most people wouldn’t stand for that, and probably wouldn’t last a week. But once again, the Money Tree outlasts us all and deals with it. Pretty impressive, huh?

Few people know about this, but the Money Tree is distantly related to the Brain Tree. They could possibly be bark-related, but I think it was through marriage. Something like the Money Tree’s mother’s cousin’s uncle married the Brain Tree’s great aunt’s daughter. Sounds slightly confusing. Well, the ancestral book was written in Tree. I think it loses something in the translation.

Right next to the Money Tree, in a nice little patch of grass, is the Rainbow Pool. When the Money Tree isn’t busy guarding donations or smiling pleasantly at a cautious little Ixi, it watches the transformations of drab looking Neopets to anything from a pirate to a faerie. In fact, the Money Tree enjoys watching this so much it often booms out greetings to newly painted pets. Beware though, the tree does speak it’s mind, so if you’ve painted your neopet something unusual, such as snot, be prepared to be showered with, to put it politely, “helpful suggestions”. Don’t take it too personally. I myself quite like snot. *snigger* *cough*

All in all, the Money Tree leads a charmed life. It gets visited by hundreds of Neopians daily, so there's never any loneliness or feelings of abandonment. There's always something happening, and things to see. Sure, it may be planted firmly into the ground, but with a life like that, who’d want to move?