The Secret Goldfish (Original)

This was a short prompt that was written for school based on the vague title "The Secret Goldfish" mentioned in "The Catcher In The Rye".

The Egress opened in a blaze of sapphire, cerulean, teal, and aegean. An electric pulse emitted from its edges, tickling the space around it. There was a whooshing sound, as if air was being sucked into the Egress like a vacuum.
Mordecai reached his hand out towards the Egress but Ezekiel pulled him back. “Not yet, Mordy.” Ezekiel grabbed a mechanism off of the counter and pressed a button. The Egress closed in a flash of bronze and tangerine, sparks fizzling around the edges of its being. Mordecai could smell the essence of burning, as if everything the Egress had touched was singed. Mordecai knew that one day he would enter it.

Ezekiel was wearing his work shirt with his name embroidered on the front, bolding labeling him. His jeans were tucked into his boots and a red bandana hung from his back pocket. Long, dark hair was pulled back into a bun and his beard was like a jungle on his jaw. As he looked at his Mordecai, he felt a strong sense of pride. Seven years had passed since the first time. Ezekiel had brought his son back so many souvenirs but not one day did his smile ever compare to the day when he had came home and told Mordecai that he thought it was about time he took his son along.

“You can never take anything from our adventures. Okay, Mordecai?” The little boy’s head bobbed up and down, his face glowing with excitement. Ezekiel stood from his kneel and ruffled Mordecai’s dark ringlets.

Mordecai had waited for this moment since he had been four years old. He watched his father press the small, emerald button. A hum filled the room and in the open space the Egress started to form. A ball of admiral started to stretch into a disk and soon the sapphire, cerulean, teal, and augean had appeared. The bronze sparks spread like spiderwebs as they clawed at the air around the Egress. It looked as if roots were burying into soil. The hum had grown louder and was now accompanied by a whooshing sound, as if there were a large vacuum. Mordecai looked back at his father, a look of questioning glimmering in his eyes. “Go ahead”, his father urged. Mordecai reached out a hand and could feel the electricity grappling onto him like thin, invisible tentacles. He looked back at his father once more and was given a nod. Mordecai looked into the eye of the Egress and felt anxiousness cloak him as he stared into the unknown. Mordecai pulled his hand away and took a few steps back. He closed his eyes and listened to the humming it emitted. Deep within the harmony, he could hear an undertone of chimes.
“You okay, Mordy?” Mordecai did not open his eyes but instead rushed forward in a full fledged sprint. The electric tentacles enveloped him and he felt as though he were pushing through a wall of seaweed. Once passing through, there was a feeling of falling. A cacophony of sounds shrieked in his ears as he fell. Mordecai opened his eyes and saw a rush of color surrounding him. He reached his hand out and saw his hands rippling the colors as if they were water. It seared like an icy cold and he felt a sickness creeping into his veins.

“Dive left, Mordy!” Mordecai looked up and saw his father falling just above him head first. Mordecai dove left and felt the iciness wash over him. He was surrounded by warm colors that swirled around him as he tumbled. The smell of fresh air and a faint hint of vanilla tickled his senses. When he stopped tumbling, he lay on his back for a moment. The sky was a brilliant arctic with accents of stone. Lavender clouds dotted the sky as did twinkling silver stars. No sun nor moon hung in the sky which made him wonder where the light source was. The ground below Mordecai was a deep chocolate color but had the consistency of sand. As he sat up, he saw tufts of salmon, rogue, and punch on top of long, thin trunks. Were they supposed to be trees? Ponds of rose water were prominent in the odd sand, as consistent as puddles after rain. Mordecai stood and stumbled over to one of the ponds. Creatures of many colors (orange, gold, silver, black, maroon, navy) swam within the water peacefully. Each creature looked nothing like what Mordecai had seen before. Or at least each except one.
Within the rose colored pond swam a tiny goldfish. As Mordecai leaned over the pond, the goldfish jumped out and grazed his nose before diving right back in. A sense of euphoria washed over Mordecai as he watched the goldfish swim around so swiftly and gracefully. It was an odd feeling to be invoked by such a small creature of foreign lands.
“Mordy! Mordy, where are you?” Mordecai heard his father’s panicked shouts and turned. His father had color covering his whole face and was holding his hands out in front of him, desperately feeling for his son. Mordecai quickly dipped his hand into the small pond and cradled the goldfish in his hand for a moment. The water circled the goldfish like a globe and it swam happily in circles. Mordecai smiled and slipped the orb into his pocket before running to his dad’s aid.
Color swam in Ezekiel’s eyes and spread across his skin as he floundered, feeling for his son. “Mordy?” Mordecai caught his father’s arms and held him steady as he tremored. “I need you to grab the syringe out of my back pocket. Take the cap off and inject it into my cheek. My right cheek specifically.” Confused, Mordecai did as he was instructed. The color quickly drained from Ezekiel’s eyes and faded from his skin within two minutes. “Wonderful”, he beamed as he looked around. “Now let’s get on with that adventure now, shall we?” He threw his arm around Mordecai and steered him away from the ponds and closer to the pink tufted trees.

Everything seemed so dark and monochrome when they stepped back through the Egress that night. The garage was dark and dingy with the faint smell of metal and brake fluid. Metal scraps were scattered over the workbench and organized partially into bins against the wall. Mordecai took it all in and grounded himself for a moment, processing the difference between his world and the one he had just left. He thanked his father for the adventure and slid inside. Mordecai grabbed a clear teardrop shaped cup and rushed to his room. He heard his father’s footsteps soon after and heard the opening of a door. “Goodnight, Mordy!” His father’s voice was a comfort to him as he shut the door. Mordecai cradled the fish into the cup and watched as the fish swam round and round before jumping out and brushing Mordecai again. “You are my Secret Goldfish”, he whispered as he tucked the glass safely behind his pencil holder.