The Orchard

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It was about far more than murder and abuse of power. It was about more than revenge. It was and is about “what if”.

It was an experiment, a few decades in the making. One so audacious they could eventually only reveal it anonymously. It was complicated and dangerous. After many years when it was complete and to save themselves they disassociated from one another.

Were they vigilantes, were they domestic terrorists, were they prophets? Would they be damned for eternity or would they be called visionaries?

It began simply enough with a book club. For many years they read about philosophy and justice. Eventually they discussed what was wrong with western justice and its dysfunctional system of retribution and incarceration. The system was philosophically and structurally flawed. No one seemed to care. If this was to change, people were going to have to think outside the box. Way outside the box.

The book club members were thoughtful people, a doctor, a West Point professor, state senator, journalist, psychologist, social worker and bookstore owner. People who knew great changes in society usually resulted from radical experiments.

They believed the most malignant crimes were those perpetrated by the privileged. People who used their money, position and most of all power, to place themselves above the law. These were the criminals who did the greatest damage, cost the most money and had the most far reaching destructive effects upon society. They walked among us, controlled the majority and showing us their clean hands existed beyond our reach.

After several years the club members simultaneously shared a profoundly disturbing dream. How was this possible? As the dreams continued the group became frightened and hesitated for two years. Enlightened interpretation eventually brought a deeply insightful peace. The kind few humans had ever experienced.

To outsiders the idea would have seemed more than outrageous, but book club members came to believe in the necessity of it. The outcome they hoped for took courage, conviction and the deepest metaphoric interpretation. Historical precedents were perhaps on their side, but the assurance of success was not.

Time and events have a way of their own. Those directly and indirectly affected by this experiment would spend the rest of their lives contemplating the most surreal drama they could ever have thought possible.

The experiments completion was profound, poetic and timeless. It was about faith, forgiveness, revelation and redemption. Think metaphor or you will miss a lot in the pages of this book.