Doris Lessing（1919～）是英國當代傑出的作家，她出生於伊朗，而成長於非洲辛巴威再回到英國定居。寫於1957年的《穿過水中密道》是一篇啟蒙故事。

守寡的媽媽每年都會帶獨生子Jerry到海邊度假。今年十一歲的Jerry不想和媽媽留在擁擠的海灘，而想到遠處的岩石海灣。媽媽知道兒子已經夠大了，不能要求他亦步亦趨地跟在身邊，也不能不關心他，媽媽憂心忡忡獨自地走向海灘。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.

海灣處處是像怪獸般嶙峋的尖銳岩石，幽深寒冷的海水讓Jerry的手腳不禁顫抖。他游到布滿著大石頭的海角，有幾個法國男孩在那兒潛水。Jerry看到其中一個男孩從岩石裂縫中潛入，過了好久都沒浮上來，他緊張地大喊，其他的人卻無動於衷，而那個男孩卻從岩石另一端冒出來。接著男孩們一個個潛下去，喧囂的海角頓時一片寂靜，Jerry暗自數著到五十，一百，心中愈數愈急，好像要催他們快快浮上來，不然會溺死！數到一百六十，男孩們終於像棕色的鯨魚從岩石另一端出現，他們沒看Jerry一眼就游回岸邊。He counted faster, faster, to hurry them up, to bring to the surface quickly, to drown them quickly...... 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.

當天Jerry要媽媽買一付潛水鏡給他，然後就單獨到海角練習潛水。他抱住一個大石頭讓身體沉到水底，屏息的數著秒數；他也探知密道的入口。接下來的幾天他更努力地鍛鍊肺部，拚命地延長閉氣的時間。夜晚他全身虛弱暈眩、流鼻血，媽媽說他練習過度了。四天又過去了，媽媽說假期要結束了，而Jerry已經能閉氣到一百六十秒，但是頭暈、流鼻血的症狀仍然出現，如果自己在密道中昏厥會不會陷在裡面死去呢？等明年再試吧？Jerry最後還是決定放手一搏。Jerry潛入洞內，黃灰色的海水把他的身體往上頂，尖銳的石牆刮著他的背一陣疼痛，還有黏滑的物體是海藻？還是章魚？數到一百多秒了，他感到頭脹脹的，肺好像要撕裂開，黑暗中他時而清醒，時而像要死去一般。終於綠色的光在眼前展開，他雙腳用力一蹬讓身體冒出開闊的海面。

He felt he was dying. He was no longer quite conscious. He struggled on in the darkness between lapses into unconsciousness. An immense, swelling pain filled his head, and the 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.

他成功了！密道就像人生的考驗，而潛水過去就是成長的儀式，Jerry通過了試煉，也象徵著告別童年，迎向少年。