The Harvest

by John David Krygelski

  One of the broadcast networks suddenly switched to an “expert” who intrigued Mills. He turned up the volume. “With us now is Jason Petrick, a clinical psychologist who specializes in rescuing and de-programming cult members. Jason, I understand that you are familiar with Reese Johnson’s involvement in the Awakening of the Spirit cult.”

  “Yes. Early in my career I helped many of the members of that cult recover from the experience. I was part of the team who went in after the Reese Johnson incident.”

  “There are many people who have not heard about this aspect of his life. Could you give us the history?”

  “I’d be happy to. Reese Johnson was identified early on as an exceptional and gifted child. His IQ was measured to be in excess of 200 when he was in middle school. When school officials contacted Johnson’s parents, suggesting special programs designed for the gifted, they declined and shortly thereafter removed him from the public education system completely. At first he was home-schooled. During that period, when Johnson was sixteen, his parents, through a friend, were exposed to the Awakening of the Spirit cult and its leader, Reverend Hawk, whose real name was Wilber Semple.

  “They became captivated, both literally and figuratively, by Hawk and his teachings, and sold their home, cars, and other belongings, giving all of their assets to the cult leader. That, in and of itself, is not unusual within many cults. What was so unusual was that they also gave their son, Reese Johnson, to Hawk. They actually signed papers allowing Hawk to adopt him.”

  “Unbelievable that any parent would do that,” said the reporter.

  “Yes, it is. It seems that the cult leader was fascinated by Johnson and by his intellect. He felt that Johnson would be a tool, a device that would enhance his cult and his own grandiosity. Although rebellious at first, Johnson had a sudden reversal, embracing the teachings of Hawk. Everywhere that Hawk was seen, Johnson was at his side. He began filling in for Hawk…holding classes, preaching sermons…and here is where it became interesting. Ever so gradually, in one-on-one meetings with the cult members, in sermons and in the classes, Johnson, beginning subtly but escalating, began to turn the cult against Hawk.”

  “Hawk didn’t notice?”

  “He did. But Johnson convinced him that all great masters, leaders, and gods reached their true destiny, their deserved pinnacle of power and fame, by allowing alternate views, even criticism, and that tolerating those views would make Hawk stronger.”

  “So, he manipulated Hawk’s ego?”

  “Precisely. By the time that Hawk realized what was happening, it was too late. The group had not only turned away from him, they had begun to hate him. The local police were called by Johnson and asked to bring out buses and paramedics. When they arrived, Johnson had led the entire group outside the gate of the compound. As the former cult members were prepared for de-programming by my group, we discovered that our work had already been done by Reese Johnson. They were all, without exception, mentally ready to rejoin society.”

  “Amazing!”

  “Oh, it’s more than amazing. Cults spring into existence as the result of a charismatic personality. That personality is so powerful that the members feel as if he is a god. For someone, anyone, to come into a group and co-opt that station in the minds of the followers is boggling. When we de-program cult members, it sometimes takes months to free a single member from attachment to the former leader, and our success rate is only sixty to seventy percent. Reese Johnson released them all, and did it without replacing Hawk with himself in their minds.”

  “What happened to Johnson’s parents?”

  “When the police searched the compound, they found Johnson’s parents huddled with Hawk in a small shack. Johnson apparently made no effort to de-program his parents. Within a month of the breakup of the cult, his parents committed suicide. They left a note saying that they could not continue to live without Hawk. Hawk, of course, was in custody at that point, facing trials for the sexual abuses that he inflicted upon the female children of the cult members, all with their parents’ blessings.”

  “A fascinating story, Jason. How do you explain Johnson’s coup?”

  “I can’t. What he accomplished is contrary to all of my own experience and training. I had several conversations with Johnson. His explanation was that he just watched Hawk and learned from him, that it was like a game. He just played the game until be became better at it than the teacher. Once he reached that level, he said that he just changed the rules.”

  “It seems there would have been a lucrative career for Johnson dismantling cults.”

  “He has shown no interest in the field. He walked out of that compound without parents, a home, money, or any other tangible assets, with only his girlfriend Claire who later became his wife, and he rejoined society. They both found jobs, went back to school and eventually received degrees in their fields, had two children, and never looked back. I have attempted to contact Doctor Johnson many times since then, asking for his help with other cults, and he has always respectfully declined. I guess I can’t blame him. I’m sure that he doesn’t want to relive that ordeal.”

  Dexter switched off the television, realizing he was late for a class.

  א

  Reese had walked Cardinal Bonavente to the elevator earlier and was, once again, in the break room, this time with Margo Jackson, as well as Claire, Reynolds, and McWilliams. Margo remarked, “Reese, I watched as the Cardinal touched Elohim. It almost looked as if he was feeling electricity. What’s it like?”

  “Well, for one thing, I believe that it’s different for each person. From what I saw, when he touched Coughlin, it looked painful, almost devastating. When he touched me, I can only describe it as pure, unadulterated joy.”

  McWilliams joined in the discussion. “With me it was hope. When I met Him, I hadn’t even realized how much hope I’d lost. Living in that wheelchair…I’d given up on so many things, things that made life wonderful. I substituted wisecracking for happiness, voyeurism for actually living. Just kept substituting and sublimating until I was miserable and didn’t even know it. When He touched me, I felt the hope and anticipation about life that I hadn’t felt since I was a child and everything was possible.”

  Jackson looked at Reynolds, who said, “Don’t look at me; I haven’t had the privilege yet.”

  “Neither have I,” Claire joined in, with a slight wistfulness in her voice.

  “I have an idea,” suggested Reynolds. “Why don’t we put him in the hallway, and we can all line up and get our touch.”

  Margo said, “I’d probably go for that. If you think about it, I guess it’s another test. If good people get a wonderful sensation and bad people get one that’s miserable, there would be a lot of people who wouldn’t want the touch.”

  Claire asked, “Do you think so, Margo? I don’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t think most bad people think they’re bad. The three of you see lots of bad people, right?”

  Reynolds answered, “Right. They’re self-righteous, angry, delusional, paranoid, and more…but they rarely see themselves as bad.”

  “True,” McWilliams agreed. “Even the ones who do grapple with the reality of their deeds tend to blame it all on some external influence, like their skin color or their parents. They don’t come to the conclusion that it’s just who they are.”

  Claire went on to say, “I also don’t think ugly people think they’re ugly, or rude and obnoxious people think of themselves that way. And the ones who bug me the most” – she chuckled – “are stupid people.”

  “Oh, I know,” said Margo. “If they would only acknowledge the people around them who are smarter, and defer to them. Instead, they each offer up an opinion as if it’s solid gold, as if it is equally as valid as mine.”

  “You know,” said Reynolds, looking thoughtful, “all of us in this room, with the possible exception of Claire, are dumber than Reese by the same number of IQ points, or more, as a so-called stupid p
erson is dumber than we are. Yet, we all feel equal to him. We don’t just defer to him because of that.”

  “Well, you should,” Reese joked.

  Laughing, Reynolds continued, “It’s probably the same thing all the way down the ladder…you know, very easy to recognize stupidity from above, tough to recognize it at around your own level.”

  McWilliams, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the interrogation room, said, “Imagine how He feels.”

  The conversation stopped briefly, all of them, in their own way, trying to visualize themselves from Elohim’s perspective. The silence was broken by Margo who asked Reese, “What’s our game plan between now and two o’clock tomorrow?”

  “I have some more I’d like to talk to him about, but I’d like to get a scientist in here.”

  “You’re a scientist,” said Margo.

  “Not what I mean. I’m talking about a physicist, a cosmologist…Carl Sagan, if he were still alive, but that type…someone with good credentials, someone moderately well known but not a media whore, and one of the few in the field with an open mind.”

  “That eliminates everyone I know,” said Claire.

  “There is someone, and he is in D.C. right now,” said Margo. “Let me see what I can do while you go back in.”

  “All right.”

  א

  Cardinal Bonavente was sitting at Kerry Coughlin’s desk, using the local diocese office to call the Vatican. Attaché Bishop Kent had just come on the line.

  “Mario, do you have news?”

  “I have met Him.”

  “And?”

  “Bill, I cannot begin to describe the experience. He even described my prayers.”

  “Could it be mind reading?”

  “Bill, He described my prayers to Him when I was a small boy. If He read my mind, He read all of it, not just what I was thinking at the time.”

  “Interesting. What else?”

  “At the end of our brief meeting, He touched me. I had been told that when He touched Kerry, it nearly killed him. Yet, when He touched Reese Johnson, it was a wondrous experience. I did not know what to expect.”

  “What did you feel?”

  “It is not what I felt, exactly, it was what I saw. There were many faces, all happy, all smiling at me, looking at me with love in their eyes…and I knew them all. They were friends, parishioners, those whom I counseled throughout my life. I felt their love. It was overpowering.”

  Bill Kent was not sure what to say. The emotion in the Cardinal’s voice was contagious. He could feel his throat tightening.

  Mario continued, “He wept. When I talked of my joy from serving Him, He wept. I tasted His tears, Bill. They were sweet.”

  After a moment, Kent found his voice. “I have spoken with His Holiness. He fears that it is a trick.”

  “I discussed that with Reese Johnson. He broached the subject, asking me how he could determine if Elohim was God or Lucifer.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him the only way that I know, the Rites of Exorcism.”

  “You know that might not work.”

  “I know. I did not tell Johnson that. If it is the fallen angel himself, we might not succeed in casting him out, but I believe that he could not endure the ritual without betraying himself.”

  “That may be true. What are your feelings on this man, Mario?”

  “He has convinced me. Either He is our God, or I am a fool.”

  “You are not a fool, Mario.”

  “Thank you, my friend.”

  “I will meet with His Holiness again to share the details of your visit, as well as your opinion, if you don’t mind.”

  “I am the servant. Whatever I have is offered, including my humble opinion.”

  “We’ll talk soon. Blessing to you.”

  “And to you.”

  א

  Reese returned to Elohim, taking the seat last used by the Cardinal.

  “There is talk of moving you. Do you mind?”

  “No, I will go where you need.”

  “In my talk with Cardinal Bonavente, I asked him the same question that I asked you: how can I determine that you are not the devil? It is quite a paradox.”

  “Did he give you the answer?”

  “He did. He said the only way that he knew was….”

  “Reese, your discomfort is quite unnecessary. I am certain that he mentioned an exorcism. To not give that answer would have been senseless.”

  “What are your thoughts on that?”

  “You live in a world where doubt and skepticism serve you well, so do not be ashamed of your doubts. One man can see and smell an apple, decide it is an apple, and eat it. Another will not trust his eyes and his nose. He will require proof that it is an apple. The first man trusts his senses, trusts himself, and decides. The second man does not. If the fruit poisons the first man, fate proves him a fool and the second man wise. If the second man dies of hunger waiting for his proof, then he is the fool. Reese, which are you?”

  “According to legend, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma believed the prophecies of Huemac, who told of the imminent arrival of the god Quetzalcoatl. When Cortez arrived in Mexico with an army much smaller than that of the Aztecs, Moctezuma believed it was the foretold arrival of their god. Rather than resisting, he welcomed them into his very palace. The Spaniards soon massacred the Aztecs, holding Moctezuma under house arrest in his own palace, and devastated their civilization.”

  “The actual events were not nearly that dramatic; however, I see your point.”

  “Elohim, I will give you essentially the same answer that I gave to my wife. I believe that You are God. I personally have no doubt. Yet I’ve been asked by my government to provide a professional authentication, much as a paleontologist may be asked to authenticate that a small piece of bone is from a tyrannosaurus. He may believe it from the moment he sees it, yet he must go through the steps before his certification has any value. If Moctezuma had asked his priests or advisors to confirm that Cortez was Quetzalcoatl, that civilization might have been saved. The most difficult aspect of all of this is that the paleontologist has steps and guidelines already established for his confirmation, and I have none. I’m making this up as I go along. And that is not conducive to creating a comfort level.” Reese paused for but a moment, then plunged on, “Elohim, if asked, will You participate in an exorcism?”

  “Reese, my friend, if you require it, I shall do it, confusing as it may be.”

  “Confusing?”

  “You have not attended the ritual, so you do not know. The majority of the ritual relies upon the priest beseeching me to intervene on the behalf of the possessed and cast out the demon. The prayers within the ritual not addressed to me are directed to my Son.”

  “I can see how that will be a bit confusing.”

  Smiling, Elohim said, “I’m certain that we can find our way through.”

  א

  William Stavros watched the wall of flat-screen TVS, waiting for something to catch his attention. Each set was tuned to a different news source, the sound only reduced, not muted. His office seemed to hold a crowd, all talking in murmurs. As his eyes flicked from one screen to the next, his attention was grabbed by one of the cable networks. Using a modified laser pointer, he selected that set, raising the sound for it while muting the others.

  “We have just learned from an unnamed source that Catholic Cardinal Bonavente was invited to meet with the mysterious Elohim. Apparently that meeting took place this afternoon, and the Cardinal has returned to the offices of the Washington, D.C. diocese. We have attempted to reach Bonavente for comment but have not been successful. Archbishop Coughlin remains in seclusion after his earlier statement, and no other spokesperson for the Church has been made available for questions. Lou, back to you.”

  The cable news anchor reappeared on the screen. “Thank you, Tom. We have in our studio Rabbi Leo Schmidt, a member of American Rabbinical Counsel. Rabbi Schmidt, I
know that the internal working of the Catholic Church is not your field, but do you have any comment on what you have heard so far?”

  “Well, Lou, events so far have been pretty astounding. A leading figure of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Coughlin, announces publicly that God has arrived on Earth to judge us all. He then goes into seclusion. The Director of the FBI, after meeting with this Elohim, has taken a leave. The Catholics have now apparently gotten a cardinal involved. It appears….”

  “Rabbi,” interrupted the newsman, “I’m sorry to cut in, but we have a new development to report. We take you to Stacy Walker at the Hoover Building. Stacy?”