“Sanctified”
“Once the visitor had disappeared, Theo felt that the cave had been sanctified. If one took the atmosphere of a medieval cathedral for a comparison, that in the cave now pulsed with a thousand times its sacred energy. Invisible light glowed from the wet stones; the bearded generals beamed; the mermaids wriggled contentedly; the spirits of the deep bowed their heads; even the seals, sea lions, dragons, and sharks shone with otherworldly luminance. The Saint had blessed the space by his mere presence.” (from “The Whisper of a Saint”)