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They called themselves W.K.F.L Fountain of the World. It stood for Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith and Love.

Established in California in 1948 by a man calling himself Master Krishna Venta, The Fountain was a doomsday cult that earned national and international recognition.

The Fountain was active until December 1958, when two former cult members strapped themselves with dynamite and killed Krishna Venta along with themselves and seven others.

Colloquially they were often called The Barefooters for their commitment to being barefoot. Master Krishna Venta instilled this practice in an effort to ground his followers.

They were also distinguishable for the bonnets the women wore and the beards the men grew, as well as their robes.

The adults’ formal attire bore the W.K.F.L. patches.

Children could often be seen in striped pajamas.

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Standard Air Lines Flight 897R was a domestic passenger flight between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Burbank California. On July 12th, 1949, the flight crashed in the Simi Hills, killing 35 of the 48 passengers and crew on board.

W.K.F.L. were among the first to arrive and offer assistance, earning them both national and international attention.

Many of the cult members had been nurses, and within their compound they had first aid classes and resources.

Though locals had known about the Barefooters in the Valley, this was their first true exposure on a national scale. Master Krishna Venta took to the spotlight well.

Capitalizing on the attention, Master Krishna Venta began to go on lecture tours across the country and around the world in an effort to recruit followers. It was easy to attract attention, with his long hair and beard, barefeet and mysterious beautiful wife. People all over the world wanted to know: who was this man?

Francis Herman Pencovic was an orphan, convicted burglar and theif. He had a wife and children, but that didn’t prevent him from persisting in his criminal delinquency. After spending some time in a chain gang and a brieft stint in the army, Pencovic abadnoned his family, changed his named to Master Krishna Venta (MKV) and proclaimed himself the host vessel for Christ Everlasting.

He told his followers he descended from the planet Neophrates. Krishna Venta proclaimed that the wold was coming to an end, torn asunder by a cataclysmic race war.

He claimed to be Christ returned to Earth to gather 144,000 elect to be saved.

The followers of his cult were convinced of his divinity. They believed he performed miracles, and witnesses claim that he raised a cat from the dead.

His Wife, Mother Ruth, was often described as kind and affectionate. It is unclear how the two met, however together they had six children. With her warm personality she served as a goodwill ambassador for the cult along with her husband.

The Fountain and it’s leader enjoyed the attention from the outside world. They welcomed guests and visitors to their Simi Valley headquarters. In public Master Krishna Venta was charming, mysterious, and appeared both otherworldly and intelligent.

Within the privacy of the cult however, MKV could be a cruel and spiteful leader.

Former cult members described fasting for days on end at their leaders command.

At times, he would threaten that he could sense “antagonism”.

The cost of entry was to sacrifice all your worldly possessions to the cult.

Former members also described being put through “spiritual tests” to measure their faith. The details of which remain obscure.

“Each marriage was 'spiritual', so you could also be married to someone in the 'outside world', as long as you didn't visit them for any 'sins of the flesh'.”

Many of his followers came from battered women’s shelters. They would come with their children and The Fountain would offer a safe place, food, clothing, and community. Disillusioned men would join bringing their wives and family.

MKV would dictate unions between his followers. Pairing up and marrying couples at his own discretion.

One of these pairings was the marriage between Brother Elzibah and Sister Neria.

Brother Elzibah and Sister Neria were married March 29th, 1955.

Neria was a nurse, and had been with The Fountain for some time. She had joined the cult with her mother, Sister Helena. Her mother had kept a diary that she would eventually inherit and maintain. This diary chronicled Neria’s life and times within The Fountain.

The details or meaning of this ritual remain unexplained.

As time went on, Brother Elzibah grew disillusioned with MKV. During this time, rumors spread that Krishna Venta took advantage of his followers wives. The resulting tension lead to several members leaving the cult, including Elzibah

However, Neria refused to follow her husband. Devoted as she was to MKV, she elected to stay behind with their son.

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On December 10th, 1958 Peter Kamenoff and another former cultist strapped themselves with dynamite and blew up the W.K.F.L. headquarters.

The bombers killed themselves, Master Krishna Venta, and seven other people.

The explosion happened around 2 a.m.

Witnesses recounted an argument. Kamenoff had returned to the compound to confront MKV. It is possible that Elzibah had returned for his wife and son. People described shouting, yelling, and then the eruption.

“[We] just wanted to clean up the mess, but we had to wait for the authorities to finish their job of finding body parts.”

Authorities including the FBI arrived within hours. The fire burned till morning, and the survivors could do little but watch the flames.

Those that were there described a scene of “mass murder”.

Authorities discovered a confession tape left behind by Kamenoff and his accomplice, Ralph Muller.

In the confession Kamenoff expressed his frustration and anger with MKV.

He also expressed his undying love for his son, Prince Aaron.

With the death of Venta Krishna and the destruction of the headquarters, The W.K.F.L. Fountain of the World splintered in scattered sects across the country.

Neria and her son retreated with other surviving cultists to a homestead in Alaska.

The homestead was an old project MKV started before his death, and together the survivors tamed the land and built a home.

Neria having lost both her husband and her spiritual leader was left to raise Aaron alone. She would eventually remarry, raising her son on the Alaskan homestead.

The Fountain lived in some sense. Different sects kept different aspects and teachings of the cult alive as long as they could.

Sister Nekona tried to keep The Fountain alive, leading her own draconian sect for nearly twenty years.

Other followers followed their own path, trying to walk in MKV’s footsteps as best they could.

But it was never again the unified religion it had been before MKV’s death.

All that was left for the survivors was to begin their lives anew.