Don't You Remember?

Chapter 1 - Don

They were an ordinary couple, a husband and his soft, round wife, living a modest life filled with quiet affection and simple routines. She was warm and bright, her blonde hair falling in waves, her laughter a gentle balm in their small, shared world.
But tonight, something felt different.
She stood at the threshold of their living room, eyeing the shimmering purple circle on the floor. “What… what are we doing?” she asked, arms folded beneath her chest, brow furrowed in suspicion.
The husband looked up, smiling gently as he reached for her hand. “Don’t worry. I found something at the market some sort of magic dust. The man swore it would change our fortunes.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Magic dust? Really?”
“Don’t you remember,” he said, guiding her toward the circle, “when I was a first investor in Apple and Amazon?”
She blinked. “What does that have to do with this?”
He just smiled wider. “Everything.”
With a reluctant sigh, she let him lead her into the circle. Purple sand shimmered under their feet, arranged meticulously into a perfect ring. As soon as they stepped inside, the circle ignited with a flickering purple flame a warm and magical, dancing without heat.
Suddenly, their past began to shimmer and reshape…
“Honey,” he said, taking her hand gently. “Don’t you remember when I was one of the first investor in Apple & Amazon?”
They settled inside the circle, fingers entwined. At his words, the circle ignited with a flickering purple flame, warm and magical, wrapping around them without burning. Suddenly, their past began to shimmer and reshape.
They were no longer the modest couple scraping by. Instead, they saw themselves years earlier, investing in those fledgling tech giants with sharp instinct and calm confidence. Their portfolio had multiplied into billions, their bank accounts fat with promise.
They moved through the vision of their transformed lives: sprawling houses with oceanside views, cars gleaming under warm sun, tables laden with the most lavish meals—succulent roasted meats, delicate pastries, sparkling crystal glasses filled with fine wine. They tasted wealth and luxury in every breath.
She smiled, delighting in this fantasy of fortune, believing this magic was their ticket to financial freedom.
The husband’s eyes gleamed with a secret he had not yet revealed.
“Oh….and honey,” he said softly, “don’t you remember that you started gaining weight as soon as we started dating ….and never…ever stopped? Leaving you a massive blonde beauty?”
The purple flames pulsed again, reshaping their shared history.