شرکت انصارگسترخاورمیانه

When she felt he was not with her, she swung around. “Oh, there you are, Jerry!” she said. She looked impatient, then smiled. “Why, darling, would you rather not come with me? Would you rather --- “she frowned, conscientiously worrying over what amusements he might secretly be longing for, which she had been too busy or too careless to imagine. He was very familiar with that anxious, apologetic smile. Contrition sent him running after her. And yet, as he ran, he looked over his shoulder at the wild day; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it.

Next morning, when it was time for the routine of swimming and sunbathing, his mother said, “Are you tired of the usual beach, Jerry? Would you like to go somewhere else?”

“Oh, no!” he said quickly, smiling at her out of that unfailing impulse of contrition --- a sort of chivalry. Yet, walking down the path with her, he blurted out, “I’d like to go and have a look at those rocks down there.”

She gave the idea her attention. It was a wild-looking place, and there was no one there; but she said, “Of course, Jerry. When you’ve had enough, come to the big beach. Or just go straight back to the villa, if you like.” She walked away, that bare arm, now slightly reddened from yesterday’s sun, swinging. And he almost ran after her again, feeling it unbearable that she should go by herself, but he did not.

She was thinking, Of course he’s old enough to be safe without me. Have I been keeping him too close? He mustn’t feel he ought to be with me. I must be careful.

He was an only child, eleven years old. She was a widow. She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion. She went worrying off to her beach.

As for Jerry, once he saw that his mother had gained her beach, he began the steep descent to the bay. From where he was, high up among red-brown rocks, it was a scoop of moving bluish green fringed with white. As he went lower, he saw that spread among small promontories and inlets of rough, sharp rock, and the crisping, lapping surface showed stains of purple and darker blue. Finally, as he ran sliding and scraping down the last few yards, he saw an edge of white surf and the shallow, luminous movement of water over white sand, and, beyond that, a solid, heavy blue.

He ran straight into the water and began swimming. He was a good swimmer. He went out fast over the gleaming sand, over a middle region where rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface, and then he was in the real sea , a warm sea where irregular cold currents from the deep water shocked his limbs.

When he was so far out that he could look back not only on the little bay but past the promontory that was between it and the big beach, he floated on the buoyant surface and looked for his mother. There she was, a speck of yellow under an umbrella that looked like a slice of orange peel. He swam back to the shore, relieved at being sure she was there, but all at once lonely.

On the edge of a small cape that marked the side of the bay away from the promontory was a loose scatter of rocks. Above them, some boys were stripping off their clothes. They came running, naked, down to the rocks. The English boy swam toward them, but kept his distance at a stone’s throw. They were off that coast; all of them were burned smooth dark brown and speaking a language he did not understand. To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body. He swam a little closer; they turned and watched him with narrowed, alert dark eyes. Then one smiled and waved. It was enough. In a minute, he had swum in and was on the rocks beside them, smiling with a desperate, nervous supplication . They shouted cheerful greetings at him; and then, as he preserved his nervous, uncomprehending smile, they understood that he was a foreigner strayed from his own beach, and they proceeded to forget him. But he was happy. He was with them.

They began diving again and again from a high point into a well of blue sea between rough, pointed rocks. After they had dived and come up, they swam around, hauled themselves up, and waited their turn to dive again. They were big boys , men, to Jerry. He dived, and they watched him; and when he swam around to take his place, they made way for him. He felt he was accepted and he dived again, carefully, proud of himself.

Soon the biggest of the boys poised himself, shot down into the water, and did not come up. The others stood about, watching. Jerry, after waiting for the sleek brown head to appear, let out a yell of warning; they looked at him idly and turned their eyes back toward the water. After a long time, the boy came up on the other side of a bog dark rock, letting the air out of his lungs in a sputtering gasp and a shout of triumph. Immediately the rest of them dived in. One moment, the morning seeming full of chattering boys; the next, the air and surface of the water were empty. But through the heavy blue, dark shapes could be seen moving and groping.

Jerry dived, shot past the school of underwater swimmers, saw a black wall of rock looming at him, touched it, and bobbed up at once to the surface, where the wall was a low barrier he could see across. There was no one visible; under him, in the water, the dim shapes of the swimmers had disappeared. Then one, and then another of the boys came up on the far side of the barrier of rock, and he understood that they had swum through some gap or hole in it. He plunged down again. He could see nothing through the stinging salt water but the blank rock. When he came up the boys were all on the diving rock, preparing to attempt the feat again. And now, in a panic of failure, he yelled up, in English, “Look at me! Look!” and he began splashing and kicking in the water like a foolish dog.

They looked down gravely, frowning. He knew the frown. At moments of failure, when he clowned to claim his mother’s attention, it was with just this grave, embarrassed inspection that she rewarded him. Through his hot shame, feeling the pleading grin on his face like a scar that he could never remove, he looked up at the group of big brown boys on the rock and shouted, “Bon jour! Merci! Au revoir! Monsieur, monsieur !” while he hooked his fingers round his ears and waggled them.

Water surged into his mouth; he choked, sank, came up. The rock, lately weighted with boys, seemed to rear up out of the water as their weight was removed. They were flying down past him, now, into the water; the air was full of falling bodies. Then the rock was empty in the hot sunlight. He counted one, two, three...

At fifty, he was terrified. They must all be drowning beneath him, in the watery caves of the rock! At a hundred, he stared around him at the empty hillside, wondering if he should yell for help. He counted faster, faster, to hurry them up, to bring them to the surface quickly, to drown them quickly , anything rather than the terror of counting on and on into the blue emptiness of the morning. And then, at a hundred and sixty, the water beyond the rock was full of boys blowing like brown whales. They swam back to the shore without a look at him.

He climbed back to the diving rock and sat down, feeling the hot roughness of it under his thighs. The boys were gathering up their bits of clothing and running off along the shore to another promontory. They were leaving to get away from him. He cried openly, fists in his eyes. There was no one to see him, and he cried himself out .

It seemed to him that a long time has passed, and he swam out to where he could see his mother. Yes, she was still there, a yellow spot under an orange umbrella. He swam back to the big rock, climbed up, and dived into the blue pool among the fanged and angry boulders. Down he went, until he touched the wall of the rock again. But the salt was so painful in his eyes that he could not see.

He came to the surface, swam to shore and went back to the villa to wait for his mother. Soon she walked slowly up the path, swinging her striped bag, the flushed, naked arm dangling beside her. “I want some swimming goggles,” he panted, defiant and beseeching.

She gave him a patient, inquisitive look as she said casually, “Well, of course, darling.”
But now, now, now! He must have them this minute, and no other time. He nagged and pestered until she went with him to a shop. As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them from her hand as if she were going to claim them for herself, and was off, running down the steep path to the bay.

Jerry swam out to the big barrier rock, adjusted the goggles, and dived. The impact of the water broke the runner-enclosed vacuum, and the goggles came loose. He understood that he must swim down to the base of the rock from the surface of the water. He fixed the goggles tight and firm, filled his lungs, and floated, face down, on the water. Now, he could see. It was as if he had eyes of a different kind , fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water.

Under him, six or seven feet down, was a floor of perfectly clean, shining white sand, rippled firm and hard by the tides. Two grayish shapes steered there, like long, rounded pieces of wood or slate. They were fish. He saw them nose toward each other, poise motionless, make a dart forward, swerve off, and come around again. It was like a water dance. A few inches above them the water sparkled as if sequins were dropping through it. Fish again , myriads of minute fish, the length of his fingernail, were drifting through the water, and in a moment he could feel the innumerable tiny touches of them against his limbs. It was like swimming in flaked silver. The great rock the bog boys had swum through rose sheer out of the white sand , black, tufted lightly with greenish weed. He could see no gap in it. He swam down to its base.

Again and again he rose, took a big chestful of air, and went down. Again and again he groped over the surface of the rock, feeling it, almost hugging it in the desperate need to find the entrance. And then, once, while he was clinging to the black wall, his knees came up and shot his feet out forward and they met no obstacle. He had found the hole.

He gained the surface, clambered about the stones that littered the barrier rock until he found a big one, and, with this in his arms, let himself down over the side of the rock. He dropped, with the weight, straight to the sandy floor. Clinging tight to the anchor of stone, he lay on his side and looked in under the dark shelf at the place where his feet had gone. He could see the hole. It was an irregular, dark gap; but he could not see deep into it. He let go of his anchor, clung with his hands to the edges of the holes, and tried to push himself in.

He had got his head in, found his shoulders jammed, moved them in sidewise, and was inside as far as his waist. He could see nothing ahead. Something soft and clammy touched his mouth; he saw a dark frond moving against the grayish rock, and panic filled him. He thought of octopuses, of clinging weed. He pushed himself out backward and caught a glimpse, as he retreated, of harmless tentacle of seaweed drifting in the mouth of the tunnel. But it was enough. He reached the sunlight, swam to the shore, and lay on the diving rock. He looked down into the blue well of water. He knew he must find his way through that cave, or hole, or tunnel, and out the other side.

First, he thought, he must learn to control his breathing. He let himself down into the water with another bog stone in his arms, so that he could lie effortlessly on the bottom of the sea. He counted. One, two, three. He counted steadily. He could hear the movement of blood in his chest. Fifty-one, fifty-two... His chest was hurting. He let go of the rock and went up into the air. He saw that the sun was low. He rushed to the villa and found his mother at her supper. She said only “Did you enjoy yourself?” and he said “Yes.”

All night the boy dreamed of the water-filled cave in the rock, and as soon as breakfast was over he went to the bay.
That night, his nose bled badly. For hours he had been under water, learning to hold his breath, and now he felt weak and dizzy. His mother said, “I shouldn’t overdo things, darling, if I were you.”
That day and the next, Jerry exercised his lungs as if everything, the whole of his life, all that he could become, depended upon it. Again his nose bled at night, and his mother insisted on his coming with her the next day. It was a torment to him to waste a day of his careful training, but he stayed with her on that other beach, which now seemed a place for small children, a place where his mother might lie safe in the sun. It was not his beach.

He did not ask for permission, on the following day, to go to his beach. He went, before his mother could consider the complicated rights and wrongs of the matter. A day’s rest, he discovered, had improved his count by ten. The big boys had made the passage while he counted a hundred and sixty. He had been counting fast, in his fright. Probably now, if he tried, he could get through the long tunnel, but he was not going to try yet. A curious, most unchildlike persistence, a controlled impatience, made him wait. In the meantime, he lay underwater on the white sand, littered now by stones he had brought down from the upper air, and studied the entrance to the tunnel. He knew every jut and corner of it, as far as it was possible to see. It was as if he already felt its sharpness about his shoulders.

He sat by the clock in the villa, when his mother was not near, and checked his time. He was incredulous and then proud to find he could hold his breath without strain for two minutes. The words “two minutes,” authorized by the clock, brought close the adventure that was so necessary to him.
In another four days, his mother said casually one morning, they must go home. On the day before they left, he would do it. He would do it if it killed him, he said defiantly to himself. But two days before they were to leave , a day of triumph when he increased his count by fifteen , his nose bled so badly that he turned dizzy and had lie limply over the big rock like a bit of seaweed, watching the thick red blood flow on to the rock and trickle slowly down to the sea. He was frightened. Supposing he turned dizzy in the tunnel? Supposing he died there, trapped? Supposing , his head went around, in the hot sun, and he almost gave up. He thought he would turn to the house and lie down, and next summer, perhaps, when he had another year’s growth in him , then he would go through the hole.

But even after he had made the decision, or thought he had, he found himself sitting up on the rock and looking down into the water; and he knew that now, this moment, when his nose had only just stopped bleeding, when his head was still sore and throbbing , this was the moment when he would try. If he did not do it now, he never would. He was trembling with fear that he would not go; and he was trembling with horror at that long, long tunnel under the rock, under the sea. Even in the open sunlight, the barrier rock seemed very wide and very heavy; tons of rock pressed down on where he would go. If he died there, he would lie until one day , perhaps not before next year,those big boys would swim into it and find it blocked.
He put on his goggles, fitted them tight, tested the vacuum. His hands were shaking. Then he chose the biggest stone he could carry and slipped over the edge of the rock until half of him was in the cool, enclosing water and half in the hot sun. He looked up once at the empty sky, filled his lungs once, twice, and then sank fast to the bottom with the stone. He let it go and began to count. He took the edges of the hole in his hands and drew himself into it, wriggling his shoulders in sidewise as he remembered he must, kicking himself along with his feet.
Soon he was clear inside. He was in a small rockbound hole filled with yellowish-gray water. The water was pushing him up against the roof. The roof was sharp and pained his back. He pulled himself along with his hands---fast, fast---and used his legs as levers. His head knocked against something; a sharp pain dizzied him. Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two... He was without light, and the water seemed to press upon him with the weight of the rock. Seventy-one, seventy-two... There was no strain on his lungs. He felt like an inflated balloon, his lungs were so light and easy, but his head was pulsing.
He was being continually pressed against the sharp roof, which felt slimy as well as sharp. Again he thought of octopuses, and wondered if the tunnel might be filled with weed that could tangle him. He gave himself a panicky, convulsive kick forward, ducked his head, and swam. His feet and hands moved freely, as if on open water. The hole must have widened out. He thought he must be swimming fast, and he was frightened of banging his head if the tunnel narrowed.
A hundred, a hundred and one.. The water paled. Victory filled him. His lungs were beginning to hurt. A few more strokes and he would be out. He was counting wildly; he said a hundred and fifteen, and then a long time later, a hundred and fifteen again. The water was jewel-green all around him. Then he saw, above his head, a crack running up through the rock. Sunlight was falling through it, showing the clean, dark rock of the tunnel, a single mussel shell, and darkness ahead.
He was at the end of what he could do. He looked up at the crack as if it were filled with air and not water, as if he could put his mouth to it to draw in air. A hundred and fifteen, he heard himself say inside his head---but he had said that long ago. He must go on into the blackness ahead, or he would drown. His head was swelling, his lungs cracking. A hundred and fifteen, a hundred and fifteen pounded through his head, and he feebly clutched at rocks in the dark, pulling himself forward, leaving the brief space of sunlit water behind. He felt he was dying. He was no longer conscious. He struggled on in the darkness between lapses into unconsciousness. An immense, swelling pain filled his head, and then darkness cracked with an explosion of green light. His hands, groping forward, met nothing; and his feet, kicking back, propelled him out into the open sea.
He drifted to the surface, his face turned up to the air. He was gasping like a fish. He felt he would sink now and drown; he could not swim the few feet back to the rock. Then he was clutching it and pulling himself up on to it. He lay face down, gasping. He could see nothing but a red-veined, clotted dark. His eyes must have burst, he thought; they were full of blood. He tore off his goggles and gout of blood went into the sea. His nose was bleeding, and the blood had filled the goggles.
He scooped up handfuls of water from the cool, salty sea, to splash on his face, and did not know whether it was blood or salt water he tasted. After a time, his heart quieted, his eyes cleared, and he sat up. He could see the local boys diving and playing half a mile away. He did not want them. He wanted nothing but to get back home and lie down.
In a short while, Jerry swam to the shore and climbed slowly up the path to the villa. He flung himself on his bed and slept, waking at the sound of feet on the path outside. His mother was coming back. He rushed to the bathroom, thinking she must not see his face with bloodstains, or tearstains, on it. He came out of the bathroom and met her as she walked into the villa, smiling, her eyes lighting up.
“Have a nice morning?” she asked, laying her hand on his warm brown shoulder.
“Oh, yes, thank you,” he said.
“You look a bit pale.” And then, sharp and anxious, “How did you bang your head?”
“Oh, just banged it,” he told her.
She looked at him closely. He was strained; his eyes were glazed-looking. She was worried. And then she said to herself, Oh, don’t fuss! Nothing can happen. He can swim like a fish.
They sat down to lunch together.
“Mummy,” he said, “I can stay under water for two minutes , three minutes, at least… It came bursting out of him.
“Can you, darling?” she said. “Well, I shouldn’t overdo it. I don’t think you ought to swim any more today.”
She was ready for a battle of wills, but he gave in at once. It was no longer of the least importance to go to the bay.

Detailed Summary

Through the Tunnel" is a short story originally published in the New Yorker in 1955. The author, Doris Lessing added it to her collection of short stories, A Habit of Loving, two years later.

This story is about Jerry, an eleven-year-old British boy on the verge of manhood, and his widowed mother. They are on holiday in another country, probably someplace in Africa.

In the beginning of the story, we see the concern that each of these characters has for one another. Jerry and his mother are heading to a beach and Jerry sees a bay that looks intriguing. His mother asks him if he would rather go somewhere else and being the good son, he says no. Finally, he admits that he would rather go exploring. His mother grapples with the idea and then decides that though she is worried about him, she will let him go.

Jerry is overjoyed and starts to explore his surroundings. He swam out into the ocean and at the same time kept an eye on his mother. His attention is soon caught by the other children playing, locals. They are swimming down by the rocks. They tried to talk to him, but when they saw that he could not understand, they soon started to forget him. He watched them dive off the rocks and soon joined them.

One of boys jumped into the water and swam to the bottom. It was several minutes until he popped out on the other side of the rocks. The others soon joined him. Jerry tried to follow but couldn't find the entrance to the tunnel. When he was unsuccessful, he tried to get their attention by splashing around. This only irritated the others, which embarrassed Jerry. He again watches them as they dive. This time when they appeared on the other side, they gathered their things and left. Jerry began to cry because he felt rejected by the group.

After they left, he tried once again to find the tunnel but couldn't because he was getting salt in his eyes. He asks his mother for swimming goggles and was so impatient for them he made her go by them right then.

At his next outing, he tries again to find the entrance and finally finds it. He then comes to the surface and grabs a stone that will weigh him down and jumps plunging to the bottom. He finds the hole and starts to go in but was scared back to the surface because of some seaweed that he thought was an octopus.

It is at this time that Jerry decides that he needs to go through the tunnel and will spend the rest of the summer trying to. He knows that he cannot hold his breath for as long as he needs to and over the next several days starts to work on holding his breath. His mother just makes sure that he is ok and lets him do what he wants, never asking him what he is doing.

After a day or two Jerry's nose starts to bleed because he spends so much time trying to hold his breath. Though he was irritated, he did as he was told when his mother insisted that he rest for a day. He finds that the day of rest helped and he can hold his breath longer. He patiently waits until he is sure he can hold his breath before trying that tunnel.

Now that Jerry can hold his breath longer, he begins to study the entrance to the tunnel. When he goes home, he is told that he is going to be going home soon. This makes him more determined than ever. He goes out and two days before he is scheduled to leave, he gets a nosebleed that makes him dizzy. It is now that he realizes if he passes out in the tunnel that he will die and it makes him concerned. He debates going home and trying it next year but then decides to try it then anyways. He realizes that if he waited until next year, he would never do it.

The story goes on to describe how Jerry gets through the tunnel and his fears of dying while going through it. In the end, just as he is sure he is about to drown, he hits the open ocean. He is overjoyed that he has succeeded even though it leaves him with another bloody nose. He sees the local boys playing in the distance and doesn't even really care. He goes back home and takes nap. He doesn't tell his mother. His mother is trying to let him grow up and decides to ignore his symptoms and act like everything is fine.

ترجمه فارسی

 گذر از تونل

دوريس لسينگ

داستان کوتاه «گذر از تونل» اولين بار ششم آگوست 1955 در نشريه نيويورکر به چاپ رسيد و دو سال بعد درکتاب «رسم عاشقي» که مجموعهاي از داستآنهاي کوتاه دوريس لسينگ بود، تجديد چاپ شد. تم داستان يکي از مسائل بسيار مورد علاقه لسينگ است: تقابل فرد با مفروضات مسلم زندگي و تلاش براي نيل به کمال.
قهرمان داستان، جري، پسر يازده سالهاي که در آستانه گذر از کودکي به جواني است، به همراه مادرش در کشوري بيگانه تعطيلات تابستاني اش را سپري مي کند. يک روز به هنگام شنا با چند پسر بزرگتر از خودش برخورد مي کند. پسر بزرگها از معبري زير زميني کهاز اينسوي صخره به سوي ديگرش راه دارد با شنا عبور مي کنند. پسر که در ابتدا قادر به عبور نمي شود حس شکست و سرخوردگي پيدا مي کند و بعد با تمرين بيشتر و با وجود خطر غرق شدن از معبر عبور مي کند . اين موفقيت حس استقلال از مادر و اعتماد به نفس را براي وي بهارمغان مي آورد.

برگردان: شهريار گلواني

در نخستين بامداد تعطيلات، پسر جوان انگليسي سر پيچ جادة ساحلي ايستاد و به خليج وحشي صخرهاي چشم دوخت. ساحل شلوغي که از سالها پيش خيلي خوب با آن آشنا بود. جلوتر از او مادر کيفي با نوارهاي روشن در يک دست داشت و دست ديگرش را که در زير نور آفتاب بسيار سپيد مي نمود، به نرمي تکان ميداد و قدم ميزد. پسر نگاه ناراضي خود را از بازوي سپيد و لخت مادر به سوي خليج چرخاند و در پي او راه خود را از سر گرفت.
مادر که متوجه غيبت پسرش شده بود تصميم گرفت براي يافتن اش نگاهي به اطراف بياندازد. بعد از ديدن پسر با لحني نگران گفت:
- آه ، تويي جري!
بعد لبخندي زد و ادامه داد:
- عزيزم چرا دوست نداري بامن بيآيي؟ نکنه دوست داري ...
از اينکه به خاطر گرفتاري هاي شخصي از علايقي که پسرش ممکن بود پنهاني در دلش پرورده باشد و او نسبت به انها بي توجه بوده ، قلباً احساس گناه کرد شد. پسر با لبخند حاکي از پريشاني و پوزش کاملا آشنا بود. پشيمان
از کردة خود شروع به دويدن از پي مادر کرد و درهمان حال برگشت و از روي شانه نگاهي به طبيعت وحشي انداخت. همة صبح ضمن بازي در ساحل به اين قضيه مي انديشيد.
صبح روز بعد، وقتي طبق معمول زمان شنا و حمام آفتاب رسيد، مادر پرسيد:
- جري ، نکند از اين ساحل حوصلهات سر رفته؟ دوست داري جاي ديگري بروي؟
جري بيدرنگ، بهدور از هرگونه ميل قاطع به دوري از مادر، با لحني سلحشورانه پاسخ داد:
- آه ، نه !
 اما وقتي داشتند از جاده سراشيبي پايين ميرفتند گفت :
- دلم ميخواهد بروم و صخره هاي پايين را تماشا کنم.
مادر موافقت کرد. صخره ها به نظر سرکش و وحشي مي آمدند و جنبندهاي به چشم نمي خورد. اما اضافه کرد:
اشکالي نداره جري .
 اما بعد از اينکه از تماشا سير شدي به ساحل بزرگ بيا و يا مستقيماً به ويلا برگرد.
 مادر دور شد. اينک بازوان سپيدش در نتيجة گردش زير آفتاب ديروز به سرخي ميزد.نزديک بود به دنبال مادر بدود چون نميتوانست تنها رفتن او را تحمل کند. اما اينکار را نکرد.
البته مادر هم پيش خود ميانديشيد که پسرش به حدي بزرگ شده که بتواند مواظب خودش باشد.
- آيا لازم است او را اينهمه وابسته به خود نگهدارم ؟ نبايد فکر کند که حتماً بايد هميشه پيش من باشد. بايد بيشتر دقت کنم.
زن بيوه بود و پسر يازده ساله تنها فرزندش بود. مصمم بود حد ميانه را نگهدارد، نه مالک مطلق اش باشد و نه در محبت کردن مضايقه کند. با نگراني به سوي ساحل اش براه افتاد.
جري وقتي ديد مادرش به ساحل اختصاصي خودشان رسيده از سراشيبي صخره ها به طرف خليج براه افتاد . از جايي که او ايستاده بود ، ميان صخره هاي قرمز- قهوه اي پايين ،چشم اندازي از حرکت امواج آبي متمايل به سبز با حاشية سپيد ديده مي شد. هر چه پايين تر مي رفت متوجه شاخابههاي خشن، صخرههاي تيز و گسترة سنگهاي کوچک پوزورويه ترد و شکنندة آنها ميشد که به رنگ ارغواني و آبي مايل به تيره در آمده بودند. با جستوخيز و دوان دوان فاصله چند ياردي مانده به خليج آبهاي سفيد و کم عمق کنارة ساحل را طي کرد و خود را به بازوان نرم آب سپرد و شروع به شنا کرد. پسر شناگر ماهري بود و شناکنان به سرعت از روي شنها درخشان گذشت و به سمت صخرههايي که چون هيولاهايي بيرنگ در ميان دريا سر از آب بدر آورده بودند رفت و بعد در درياي واقعي بود. درياي گرم که جريانات خنک زيرسطح آب رآنهايش را قلقلک ميداد.
وقتي بهاندازة کافي از ساحل دور شد برگشت و نه تنها خليج کوچک را در دوردست ، بلکه سنگ پوزهايي را که بين خليج و ساحل بزرگ قرار داشت تماشا کرد. روي سطح آب نوازشگر شناور ماند و به مادرش چشم دوخت. مادر آنجا بود. نقطهاي زرد رنگ زير چتري که به نظر مثل قاچي از پرتقال ميرسيد. پسر با احساس امنيت از اين که مادرش آنجا بود به ساحل بازگشت اما ناگهان حس کرد که تنهاست.
در لبة دماغة کوچک آنسوتر از سنگ پوزها اينجا و آنجا صخره هايي بودند که چند پسر داشتند روي آنها لباسهايشان را در مي آوردند. پسرها لخت از صخره ها پايين آمدند. پسر انگليسي بهطرف آنها شنا کرد اما فاصلهاش را بهاندازة کافي از آنها حفظ کرد. آنها از ساحل دور بودند و کاملاً برنزه شده بودند و به زباني حرف ميزدند که درکش براي پسر امکان نداشت. احساس با آنها بودن و يکي از آنها بودن وجود پسر را فرا گرفت. شناکنان کمي جلوتر رفت. پسرها برگشتند و با چشمان ريزو تيره شان که سرزندگي از آن مي باريد بهاو نگاه کردند. بعد يکي از آنها لبخندي زد و دست تکان داد. همين حرکت کافي بود. در چشم به هم زدني شناکنان پيش آنها رفت و روي يکي از صخرهها در کنارشان قرار گرفت. لبخندي از سر هيجان و نوميدي بر لب داشت. بچهها شادمانه بهاو خوشامد ميگفتند. کم کم ميکوشيد بر لبخند هيجاني حاکي از عدم درک زبان آنها فايق آيد. بچهها فهميدند کهاو فردي خارجي است کهاز ساحل اختصاصي خود دور شدهاست. خواستند که بيخيالش شوند اما او خوشحال بود. با آنها بود. آنها از بالاي صخره ها به پايين شيرجه ميرفتند و بعد از فرو رفتن در عمق آبهاي آبي دريا بالا مي آمدند و دوري ميزدند و از صخره بالا ميآمدند و منتظر ميشدند تا نوبتشان بار ديگر فرارسد.از نظر جري آنها پسر بزرگ بودند . در واقع مرد شده بودند. جري شيرجه زد و آنها نگاهش کردند. و بعد وقتي دوري در آب زد و از صخره بالا آمد تا در نوبت خود قرار بگيرد آنها جا برايش باز کردند و بهاين ترتيب در جمع آنها پذيرفته شد. او با اعتماد به نفس و غرور بار ديگر شيرجه زد.
کمي بعد پسري کهاز همه بزرکتر بود خودي نشان داد و به داخل آب شيرجه زد و بالا نيامد. بقيه تماشا ميکردند. جري که ديد پسر از آب بيرون نيامد شروع بهايما و اشاراتي کرد تا بهآنها هشدار بدهد. اما آنها با بيتفاوتي نگاهش کردند و بعد دوباره چشم به آب دوختند. بعد از مدتي نسبتاً طولاني پسر از آنسوي صخرهاز آب بيرون آمد و با فرياد پيروزي نفس حبس شده را با سرو صدا بيرون داد. بلافاصله بقيه شيرجه زدند. دريک لحظه، صبح مملو از شادي و نشاط بچه ها شد. بعد فضا و سطح آب خالي از سر و صدا شد اما در زيرآب جنب و جوش ادامه داشت.
جري شيرجه زد و به جمع شناگران زير آب پيوست. ديوارة سياه صخره را در زير آب ديد و بهان دست ساييد وبلافاصله به سطح آب برگشت. ديوارة صخره حايلي بود کهاز پشت آن مي توانست اطراف را ببيند. کسي را نديد. در زير آب سايه روشن هاي اندام شناگران محو شده بود. آنسوتر از ديوارة حصارگونة صخرةکي يکي از آب بالا آمدند. جري فکر کرد کهآنها حتماً از سوراخ يا حفرهاي در صخره گذشتهاند. دوباره شيرجه رفت. پايين آبهاي شورغير از ديوارة صخره چيزي نديد.وقتي به سطح آب آمد بچه ها روي صخرة شيرجه نشسته بودند و آماده دور بعدي مي شدند. جري ناراحت از شکست خود بهانگليسي داد زد:
- به من نگاه کنيد.
 و مثل تولهاي نادان شروع به حرکات عجيب و پاشيدن و مشت زدن بهآب کرد.
بچهها با نگاهي تحقيرآميز بهاو نگاه کردند . او تحقير و ناراحتي را ميشناخت. وقتي در آنجام کاري موفق نميشد و ميخواست توجه مادرش را جلب کند با اين نوع نگاه ناراحت کنندة مادر مواجه مي شد. احساس ميکرد شرم شکست چون رد زخمي پنهان نشدني در چهرهاش نمايان است . نگاهي به پسرهاي بزرگتر از خود انداخت و داد زد:
- بن ژور ! مرسي! ارور!موسيور، موسيور!
 در همين حال گوشهاي خود راگرفت و با دست تکان داد.
آب داخل دهانش شد. سرفه کرد و زير آب رفت و باز بالا آمد. بچه ها روي صخره بودند و بعد هوا پر از بوي بچههايي شد که شيرجه ميزدند. به نظر ميرسيد با کم شدن وزن بچه ها صخره بالاتر مي آيد. بعد صخره زير آفتاب گرم تنها ماند. جري شروع به شمردن کرد:
- يک، دو ، سه ...
وقتي شمارش به پنجاه رسيد وحشت کرد . با خود انديشيد الان همة بچه ها در حفره هاي پر آب صخره گير افتاده و در حال غرق شدن هستند. با رسيدن به عدد صد، بهاطرافش که احدي در آن به چشم نميخورد نگاه کرد و نوميدانه خواست تا در خواست کمک کند. جري سرعت شمارش را زياد کرد گويي اين کار باعث ميشد بچهها زودتر به سطح آب برگردند. در آن صبح آبي و خلوت هيچ چيز مثل شمارش او را وحشتزده نکرده بود. بارسيدن شمارش به صد و شصت آبهاي اطراف صخره مملو از بچههايي شد که يکي پس از ديگري همچون والهاي قهوهاي سر از آب بدر آوردند. بچه ها بي آنکه نگاهي بهاو بياندازند به سوي ساحل شنا کردند.
جري از صخره شيرجه بالا رفت و روي آن نشست. گرما و سختي صخره را زيرآنها احساس ميکرد. در ساحل بچه ها لباسهايشان را جمع مي کردند و به طرف سنگ پوزة ديگري ميرفتند. آنها ميخواستند از او دور شوند. جري فرياد کشيد ، داد زد و دستهاي مشت شدهاش را روي چشمهايش گذاشت و شروع به گريه کرد. کسي نبود کهاو را ببيند پس تا آنجا که مي توانست گريه کرد.
بنظرش رسيد که زمان زيادي طي شدهاست ، شناکنان تا جايي رسيد که مادرش را ديد. هنوز آنجا زير چتر پرتقالي رنگ دراز کشيده بود. شناکنان به سوي صخره بزرگ بازگشت. با خشم و عصبانيت از آن بالا رفت و به داخل آبي دريا شيرجه رفت . پايين و پايينتر رفت و به ديواره صخره دست کشيد اما شوري آب مانع از آن شد که چشمها را کامل باز کند و آن را ببيند.
به سطح آب بازگشت و شناکنان به ساحل برگشت و به ويلا رفت و منتظر مادرش شد. بزودي مادرش در حاليکه کيف نواري و بازوي برهنهاش را بهارامي تکان ميداد سلانه سلانه به ويلا بازگشت. جري با لحني شکست خورده و ناراحت گفت:
- عينک شنا مي خواهم.
مادر نگاهي آرام و کنجکاو بهاو انداخت و گفت :
- باشه عزيزم.
- همين الان مي خواهم . همين الان.
 و آنقدر اصرار کرد تا مادر به همراهاو به فروشگاه رفت. به محض خريدن عينک غواصي جري طوري آن را از دست مادر قاپيد که گويي مادر قصد دارد آن را براي خود نگهدارد و بلافاصلهاز سراشيبي جادة منتهي به خليج روان شد.
جري خودش را به صخره مورد نظر رساند و بعد از زدن عينک شيرجه زد. فشار آب تسمة عينک را شل کرد . جري ميدانست که بايد تا پايين صخره شنا کند، به سطح آب آمد ،عينک را محکم کرد، هواي کافي داخل ششها کشيد و پايين رفت . حالا مي توانست همه چيز را ببيند. گويي چشمهايش ديگر آن چشمهاي سابق نبودند. مانند چشمهاي ماهي، بي آنکه آب شور ناراحتاش کند همه چيز را شفاف و واضح ميديد.
شش يا هفت فوت پايين تر ، سنگ و شنهاي کف دريا شفاف و درخشان بودند. دو جسم خاکستري رنگ گرد و درازشبيه سنگ نمک و تنه چوب بيحرکت آنجا افتاده بودند. آنها دو ماهي بودند که تکاني خوردند و چرخي زدند شبيه رقص و دوباره سرجاي اول خود برگشتند. آب دريا در بالاي ماهي ها موج برداشت، گويي سنگي به آب انداخته باشند. باز ماهيهايي بهاندازه ناخن انگشت به رقص در آمدند و از لاي پاهايش عبور کردند. در يک لحظهاحساس کرد در دريايي از نقره شناور است. صخره بزرگي که بچه ها از آن عبور کرده بودند اصلاً معبري نداشت . بنابر اين براي پيدا کردن تونل مجبور بود پايينتر برود. چندين بار از آب بيرون آمد . ششهايش را پر هوا کرد و به پايين رفت. چندين بار سطح صخره را براي يافتن گذرگاه نوميدانه وارسي کرد. بعد در يکي از جستجوها وقتي زانويش را به سطح صخره ميزد، پايش در حفرهاي فرو رفت. تونل را يافته بود.
به سطح آب برگشت. دنبال تکه سنگي گشت که بتواند از صخره جدا کند. تکهاي سنگ بزرگ از صخره را کند و آن را برداشت و شيرجه زد. سنگ مانند لنگري او را به کف دريا رساند. به محل حفرهاي که پايش در آن فرو رفته بود رسيد . حفره سوراخي غيرمعمول و تاريک بود. ته حفره ديده نمي شد. دوباره سنگ لنگر خود را برداشت و کوشيد با استفادهاز وزن آن داخل حفره شود.
مجبور بود با سر داخل حفره شود. شانه هايش اجازة عبور نميدادند. شانههايش را از سويي به سوي ديگر حرکت ميداد. و تا کمر خود را داخل حفره کرد. تمي توانست چيزي ببيند. چيزي نرم و چسبناک به دهانش خورد. فلاخن سياهي جلوي صخرة خاکستري در مقابلش بود. وحشت سراسر وجودش را پر کرد.فکر کرد هشت پاست. در حاليکه خود را به عقب مي کشيد نگاهي بهاطراف انداخت . گياهان بي خطري را که دهانه تونل را پوشانده بودند کنار زد ، شنا کنان خود را بهافتاب سطح در يا رساند و رهسپار ساحل شد. روي صخرة شيرجه دراز کشيد. نگاهي به چاهابي پايين انداخت.مي دانست که بايد راهي از تونل، معبر، گذرگاه و يا هرچي که هست به آنسوي صخره پيدا کند.
قبل از همةادگرفت که بايد نفس اش را کنترل کند. دوباره باسنگي ديگر در دست شيرجه زد. بهاين ترتيب بدون هيچ تلاش اضافي خود را به کف دريا رساند. شروع به شمارش کرد ...يک ، دو ، سه ...حرکت خون را در سينهاش احساس مي کرد. پنجاه و يک ...پنجاه و دو...سينهاش درد گرفت . به سطح آب برگشت و نفسي تازه کرد. ديد که خورشيد پايين آمدهاست. سريعاً به ويلا برگشت و مادر را ديد که داشت غذا ميخورد. مادر تنها چيزي که پرسيد اين بود :
- خوش گذشت؟
و جري پاسخ داد:
- خيلي.
تمام شب خواب غار آبي را ديد و صبح به محض خوردن صبحانه به خليج رفت.
آنشب دماغش به شدت خون افتاد. ساعتها زير آب مانده بود تا حبس کردن نفس در سينه را تمرين کند و حالا احساس ضعف و سرگيجه مي کرد.مادر گفت :
- عزيزم اگه جاي تو بودم دست از اين کار مي کشيدم.
روز بعد و روزهاي بعد جري تمرين حبس نفس مي کرد ،گويي تمام زندگي و آيندهاش بهاين کار بستگي داشت. شب دوباره دماغش خون افتاد طوري که مادر اصرار کرد روز بعد باهاش برود. دردآور بود که روزش را بدون تمرين حياتي اش هدر دهد اما چارهاي نداشت و در ساحلي که فکر مي کرد مال بچه کوچولوهاست گذراند . ساحلي که مادرش مي توانست بدون احساس خطرزير آفتاب دراز بکشد. اين ساحل مال او نبود.
روز بعد بدون اجازه گرفتن از مادر و بدون اينکه مادرش متوجه غلط يا درست بودن موضوع شود به ساحل خودش رفت. در طي استراحت در يافت که شمارش نفس را بالا بردهاست . بچههاي بزرگتر براي عبور از تونل تا صد و شصت مقاومت کرده بودند و او از سر ترس اعداد را تندتر مي شمرد. احتمالاً حالا اگر مي کوشيد مي توانست از تونل عبور کند. اما هنوز نمي خواست امتحان کند. با مقاومتي آگاهانه بيصبري کودکانهاش را کنترل مي کرد. در عين حال در کف دريا روي سنگهايي کهاز بالا آورده بود دراز مي کشيد و مدخل تونل را بررسي مي کرد. تا آنجا که مي توانست سوراخ سنبه هاي آن را شناخته بود. خصوصا اينکه قبلاً فشار سنگها را بر شانه هاي خود احساس کرده بود.
وقتي مادر حضور نداشت در ويلا کنار ساعت مي نشست و زمان را محاسبه مي کرد. حالا با غرور مي توانست نفس را تا دو دقيقه حبس کند بدون اينکه چندان احساس ناراحتي کند. کلمه دو دقيقه سفر مخاطرهاميزي را که ضرورتا در انتظارش بود نزديکتر مي کرد. چهار روز بعد مادرش سر صبحانه گفت که بايد به خانه برگردند. يک روز قبل از ترک ويلا بايد کار را تمام مي کرد. با خودش گفت : حتي اگر به قيمت جانم تمام شود اينکار را مي کنم.اما دو روز قبل از حرکت شان روز پيروزي دچار خونريزي شديد بيني شد. طوريکه با احساس سرگيجگي مثل گياهي دريايي روي صخره دراز کشيد و جوي باريکي از خون را کهاز صخره به دريا ميريخت نظاره کرد. ترسيده بود. با خود مي انديشيد ممکن است در تونل سرگيجهاش بيشتر شود و در تونل گير بيافتد و بميرد .سرش را زير نور آفتاب تکان داد .کم مانده بود تسليم اين افکار شود. فکر کرد به خانه برگردد و تا تابستان سال بعد صبر کند حتماً تا آن زمان به حد کافي بزرگ مي شد و مي توانست از تونل عبور کند.
حتي بعد از اينکه فکر کرد تصميماش را گرفتهاست، متوجه شد که روي صخره نشسته و بهاعماق دريا چشم دوختهاست و ميدانست که درست در همين لحظه بعد از اينکه خونريزي بيني اش قطع شود و سرش کمي از درد و دوران آرام بگيرد ، تلاشش را خواهد کرد. اگر الان اين کار را نکند ديگر هيچوقت نخواهد توانست. ترس ولرز او از دو وحشت موازي بود ، ترس از عدم توانايي در امتحان کردن و ترس از تونل طولاني زير صخره ! حتي زير آفتاب نوراني صخرة حايل بسيار طولاني و سنگين به نظر مي آمد. هزاران تن سنگ و صخره روي جايي کهاو قرار بود از آن عبور کند قرار داشت. اگر آنجا ميمرد احتمالا تا سال آينده که پسربزرگها از آنجا عبور ميکردند و اسکلت او را مي يافتند کسي از مرگش خبردار نمي شد.
 عينک غواصياش را به چشم زد و بندهايش را محکم کرد و از خلاة آن مطمئن شد. دستهايش ميلرزيد. سنگينترين سنگ را انتخاب کرد، حالا نصف بدنش در خنکاي آب قرار داشت نصف ديگر بدنش زير آفتاب داغ بود. بار ديگر به آسمان صاف نگاه کرد، ششهايش را يکي دو بار از هوا آکند و خود را رها کرد تا به عمق برود. شروع به شمارش کرد. گوشه هاي سنگ را گرفته بود و همچنانکه قبلاً هم فکرش را کرده بود در حفره فرو رفت. شانههايش را تکان ميداد و با پاهايش خود را به جلو ميراند. بهزودي به محوطه بازتري رسيد. بدنش آزاد شده بود. در حفرة صخرهاي مملو از آب زرد مايل به خاکستري رها بود. آب او را با فشار به طرف سقف حفره ميراند. سنگهاي سقف حفره تيز بودند و پشتش را درد مي آوردند. هر چه تندتر با دستهايش خود را جلو ميکشيد و از پاهايش به عنوان اهرم استفاده ميکرد. سرش به جسمي تيز و سخت برخورد کرد و درد وجودش را آکند. پنجاه ، پنجاه و يک ، پنجاه و دو...چشمانش جايي را نميديد. و وزن آب و صخره بر رويش قرار داشت. هفتاد و يک ، هفتاد و دو...هنوز ششهايش درد نميکردند. احساس ميکرد مثل بادکنکي در هوا شناور است . ششهايش راحت بودند اما سرش قدري گيج ميرفت. بدون وقفه به سقف تيز و باريک حفره فشرده مي شد. دوباره به ياد هشت پاها افتاد. با خود گفت نکند حفره مملو از گياهاني باشد کهاو را گير بياندازند. از سر نگراني با فشار خود را جلو کشيد . سرش را دزديد و شروع به شنا کرد. دستها و پاهايش گويي در آبهاي آزادند و براحتي حرکت مي کردند.حتما حفره گشادتر شده بود. انديشيد بايد تندتر شنا کند و ميترسيد نکند حفره تنگ تر شود و يا سرش ناگهان به سنگي برخورد کند.
صد ، صد و يک ... آب روشنتر ميشد. حس پيروزي وجودش را آکند. ششهايش کم کم به درد ميآمدند. چند ضربة بيشتر ...حالا بايد از حفره خارج شود . تندتند ميشمرد. صد و پانزده و کمي بعد ، که به نظر سالي رسيد، باز هم صد و پانزده.آب اطرافش آبي گوهرگون بود. بالاي سرش شکافي را ميان صخره ديد. نور خورشيد از ميان آن مي تابيد وصخره سياه و تميز تونل را نمايان مي کرد. از سياهي تونل اندکي مانده بود. توش و توان خود را از دست داده بود. طوري به شکاف صخره در بالاي سرش نگاه کرد که گويي به جاي نور هوا در آن جريان دارد و آرزو کرد کاش ميتوانست دهانش را در شکاف بگذارد و با تمام وجود آن را به درون خود بکشد. يکصد و پنجاه ... صدايي در درونش اين عدد را تکرار کرد اما اين شماره را خيلي قبل به زبان آورده بود. بايد از آن تاريکي عبور مي کرد و گرنه غرق مي شد. سرش گيج ميرفت و درد شديدي ريه هايش را مي آزرد. صد و پنجاه ...صد وپنجاه ... اين عدد چون پتکي مدام بر سرش مي کوفت. نوميدانه بر هر گوشهاي از صخره چنگ مي انداخت و خود را جلو مي کشيد و آب تيره را پشت سر مي گذاشت . حس کرد دارد مي ميرد. هشياري اش را از دست داده بود. در مرز ناهوشياري کامل ، بطور غريزي براي نجات دست و پا ميزد. دردي ناشناخته و عظيمي در سرش پيچيد . و بعد انفجار نور سبز تاريکي را شکافت .حرکت دستها و پاهايش او را به درياي آزاد رساند.
به سطح آب رسيد . سرش خارج آب بود و مثل ماهي نفس نفس ميزد. ناي شنا و رساندن خود را به صخره نداشت.احساس مي کرد زير آب خواهد رفت و غرق خواهد شد. بعد با تلاشي غريزي به صخره چنگ زد و خود را بالا کشيد. دمر روي آن افتاد و تند تند نفس کشيد. چشمانش سياهي ميرفت و چيزي نمي ديد. خون چشمانش را گرفته بود و بشدت مي سوخت .بندهاي عينک غواصي را پاره کرد و مشتي خون به دريا ريخت. خون از دماغش جاري شده بود و محفظه ماسک را پر کرده بود.
مشتي از آب شور و خنک دريا برداشت و بيني اش را شست. قادر به تشخيص شوري آب و مزه خون نبود. بعد از مدتي ضربان قلبش آرامتر شد و نور چشمانش را باز يافت. بلند شد و نشست. پسرهاي بوميرا ديد که با فاصلة نيم مايل به شيرجه و شنا مشغول بودند. دوست نداشت پيش آنها برود. تنها چيزي که مي خواست برگشتن به خانه و استراحت بود.
بعد از مدت کوتاهي ، به ساحل رسيد و به آرامي راه ويلا را در پيش گرفت. خود را در بستر رها کرد و به خواب رفت . با صداي پايي کهاز مسير منتهي به ويلا به گوشش رسيد از خواب بيدار شد. مادرش برميگشت. با عجله به حمام رفت. دوست نداشت مادرش او را با چهرهاي خونين و رد پاي اشگ ببيند. از حمام بيرون آمد و مادر را با چهرهاي بشاش و خندان در ورودي ويلا ديد.
  مادر دستش را روي شانة برنزة جري گذاشت و گفت:
  - صبح خوش گذشت؟
 - اوه، عالي ، ممنون.
- چرا رنگت پريده و بعد بانگراني و ناراحتي پرسيد:
 - سر ِتو کجا زدي؟
- چيز مهمي نيست ، حالا يه جايي خورده ديگه.
مادر به دقت نگاهش کرد. پسر با چشماني خسته و بي حال چيزي را از او پنهان مي کرد. نگران شد. بعد با خود گفت :
-کولي بازي در نيار . جري ميتونه مثل ماهي شنا کنه ، هيچ اتفاقي براش نمي افته
نشستند تا ناهارشان را بخورند.
جري بي مقدمه گفت:
- مامان ...مي تونم حداقل دو دقيقه ، سه دقيقه زير آب بمانم.
- جدي ميگي عزيزم؟ به نظرم نبايد ديگه اينکارو انجام بدي...واسهامروز شنا کردن کافيه
مامان آماده بود تا اگه جري مخالفت کرد باهاش کل کل کند اما جري بلافاصله تسليم شد. رفتن به خليج اصلاً برايش اهميت نداشت.