Tale of fable or tale of truth.

Sometimes we sense things that are not quite seen. There's a buzz in the air, it's like you're in a dream, but the fact is that your feet touch the floor. The buzz beckons you to wonder and explore. Do you follow it's prompting, or do you ignore?

I was walking the cobble stoned streets of Durham. I knew something significance was in my midst, but what, I did not know. I felt a hum around me. Feeling waves of emotion I couldn't quite articulate why.

Terraced buildings laced the lanes as my feet followed the feeling. Houses danced between mirroring times of past and present. The old and new collided.

It was an eclectic setting that whispered of another world, an ancient world. It was hauntingly beautiful. Catching sight of a spire, it speared through my thoughts. I quickened my pace.

What a sight.

As I reached the roads end, a castle and cathedral outstretched before me. They were magnificent. The stately, Norman designs stopped me in my tracks. I couldn't fathom the workmanship or design. I was speechless.

Finding my step, I crossed the threshold.

Footsteps echoed as electricity coursed through my being.

What was it about this place?

William

I heard a whisper in my being but didn't understand the relevance.

William.

I heard it again.

Checking dates on all the plaques I could see they went back to the dates of William the Conqueror, but I couldn't find any other correlation... I didn't see his name anywhere. The only monarch listed was Elizabeth I.

Note: My ancestry goes back to William the Conqueror.

With the town sleeping, the cathedral was mine. I needed this moment. I needed the space. There was something special in my midst and it wasn’t that it was featured as the great hall in Harry Potter... it was something else…

Unable to put my finger on it I left with more questions than answers. Finding a nook in a cafe I settled in as I attempted to figure out the mystery. I failed, but I was successfully entertained. Time had past and a bustling of British busyness stole my attention. I couldn’t help but smile. Their accents, their animation, their conversations… I know I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t help but listen in to them…

They were brilliant!

There were giggles and laughter, quarrels and complaints - not to mention the music clanging in the kitchen… It was a circus, it was wonderful and it made me smile!

The sound eventually died down as the rush dispersed. It was time for me to do the same. Walking the riverbed I couldn't help but wonder what it all meant.

Fairly short lived, my attention was stolen by enchanted little shops and sights once more. I was back in town. It was honestly like I was walking through another world, in another time. The buzz bugged me once more.

As morning turned to afternoon I found myself back at the Cathedral. There was a funeral. Unable to go in, out of respect, I overheard a conversation behind me... A history lesson.

"William the Conqueror's brother Bishop Odo of Bayeux..."

"Excuse me, did you just say William the Conqueror?"

I was amazed and delighted by my luck! A history lesson unfolded and the elderly Englishman told me a tale.

William's brother, the Bisoph of Bayeux, built this Cathedral! It was a Norman design naturally, as they were Normans, and it was a political declaration of power and prowess.

So there was a link to William after all...

The funeral ended and the doors opened. This time I was not alone when I crossed the threshold. I was accompanied by the gentleman and his friend. He shared the history, he taught me the relevance and signature markings within the Cathedral's design, and all I could do was listen, amazed.

Part of my ancient blood had been here, built this... Yes it had caused destruction, but it also beheld such power...

Grateful for the moment, for the encounter, I discovered fact from within the fable of my soul. The hum I could have so easily ignored had told me something: significance was indeed in my midst.

Significant was within me.