Yesterday, I had an experience that is becoming increasingly frequent and familiar as I delve into this fascinating world of Directed Fiction: I encountered the edge of the Internet.
It happened like this: The protagonist of my next story, Dr. Olivia Newsom, was working her way through a series of ethical decisions. She is the Dean of Faulkner University, a Christian college in Montgomery, Alabama. She’d recently been injured during a Pro-Palestinian protest at the nearby University of Alabama. She’s concerned about what to do if those protests come to Faulkner.
On this particular path, Newsom seeks out her friend and mentor, Dr. Rachel Bennet, and asks Bennet to pray for her. I was feeling a little lazy, so I decided to search for prayers online that might fit the scene. I typed in something like, “Prayers for protection against pro-Palestinian demonstrations.”
That’s when I reached the edge of the Internet. Nothing even remotely close came up. I encountered thousands of articles supporting the Pro-Palestinian movements, explaining it, promoting it, etc. But not a single prayer for protection against them.
Look, I know things like this are out there. But they seem to be hidden behind an impermeable barrier of algorithms and top-down control of the free flow of information. It felt like I was trying to escape the event horizon of a black hole.
As interesting as it was to explore this recurring phenomenon, I still had a scene to write. And while I was doing research, I could have already had the scene written. So, I decided to write my own prayer for protection against Pro-Palestinian protests. Here it is. You may never find it with a Google search, but it exists…
Edge of the Internet Scene
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1ed2456-9d83-4ed7-bc43-72d309dba989_1280x720.jpeg)
"My goodness, Olivia! What happened?" You lower the icepack you've been holding against your yead as Dr. Bennet peers closely into your face, examining the injury.
You try to brush her away, but your friend continues, squinting in concentration. “I’m sorry I missed our meeting, Rachel. Some protestors threw a water bottle at me.”
“Nonsense!” Bennet scolds you gently. “I’m always here for you. What did you want to talk about?”
“Could you pray for me?” you ask softly.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Bennet bustles around the table to sit next to you. She takes your hands in hers. “Of course I’ll pray for you.”
Your hands tremble slightly. You both quietly bow your heads.
“Heavenly Father,” Bennet begins with calm strength and authority. “We come before You today with heavy hearts, seeking Your divine intervention. We ask that you prevent this campus from becoming yet another place of turmoil and unrest.”
Bennet’s grip on your hands tightens, and you look up to see her eyes squeezed tight with passionate fervor.
“We know that those who protest are hurting and confused,” Bennet continues. “Forgive them and give them solace. Calm the hearts of those who are angry and troubled and lead them towards paths of reconciliation.”
Bennet prompts you with an unspoken signal. You add, “Father, grant us wisdom and strength to guide our students through these challenging times.”
“In Your holy name, we pray,” Bennet concludes.
“Amen.”
Alternate Scene
Now, if you know anything about Directed Fiction, you know that I do my best to render accurate views of both sides of every argument. So below is the mirror-image scene where Dr. Newsom chooses instead to meet with a student activist. In this scenario, she fully supports the pro-Palestinian cause.
I will tell you, however, that this does not represent the edge of the Internet. On the contrary, this scene is a rudder passing through its heavily trafficked depths. There is so much out there on this topic that the challenge becomes choosing what minuscule fraction is needed to convey my ideas in the extremely limited word count this new format provides me.
From behind you someone urgently calls your name, “Dr. Newson?”
You turn to find Sara Johnson beckoning you to join her at her table in the campus café. She has two small cups with her, and the inviting scent of coffee permeates the air.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me,” she says eagerly, “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
You spend a few minutes retelling the story of how you were injured during a protest at the University of Alabama. “It’s nothing, really,” you wave away her concerned look. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
"It's a peaceful movement, Dr. Newsom," Johnson leans forward intently. "The essence of everything we're doing is love. The genocide being perpetrated on the Palestinian people must end. I'm so sorry that you were hurt, but for the sake of justice and equality, our voices must be heard."
You give Johnson an understanding smile as you take her hands in yours, “Relax, Sarah. I’m with you.”
“You are?” Johnson seems stunned that you’re open to her ideas.
“I am,” you nod. “I’ve been reading reports from reputable organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and I’ve become convinced that human rights abuses are being committed against Palestinian civilians. How can I help?”
Johnson beams and grips your hands tightly. "Would you like to meet with some of the students, or discuss some questions I have about organizing our protest?"
Final Note
With Directed Fiction, these two scenes exist in relationship to each other. That’s the whole point.
This graphic illustrates the relative position of each scene within my multi-path adventure story diagram. You can see they are polar opposites.
Since you subscribe to my site, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Both of these extreme paths will arrive at the same end state.
Stay tuned to find out more!