Observation #918 — The Wishing Wells

I have discovered another curious Earth custom.

Humans routinely throw perfectly acceptable currency into decorative pools of water known as fountains.

The stated purpose is to make a wish.

Researchers have been unable to determine how submerging currency improves communication with the universe.

More perplexing is what happens afterward.

Occasionally, another human—typically one possessing very little currency—retrieves the discarded coins.

Researchers initially assumed this was considered recycling.

It is not.

Depending on the location, the collector may instead be accused of stealing money that was intentionally thrown away.

Researchers remain uncertain how abandoned property continues to belong to someone after being abandoned.

The legal explanation appears considerably more complex than the wishing explanation.

This species continues to surprise me.

I have therefore requested a shipment of Earth pennies from Headquarters.

Based on my observations, introducing several hundred additional pennies into circulation should have no measurable economic effect whatsoever. Humans repeatedly assure one another that pennies are essentially worthless.

I intend to test this hypothesis by insisting on paying with exact change.

I eagerly anticipate the results.

Researchers suspect the pennies will remain completely unnoticed.

My previous field experiments suggest otherwise.