“That’s because you don’t—”
Skye fell abruptly silent. She could feel the two of them looking at her, judging her, trying to work her out.
“Shall we go inside?” Joy suggested. “Maybe Andreas could read it out to us?”
The shutters were yet to be hung, and the lounge area was bathed in brilliant light. Andreas paused to admire a framed photograph Skye had hung earlier that morning—one of the final few she had taken with her dad before he’d died. They were laughing, her face turned toward his, a cake on the table in front of them aglow with burning candles.
“Your house is beginning to look like a home,” he said as Skye sat down and hugged one of the evil-eye cushions against her chest. Joy perched beside her, but Andreas remained standing, the newspaper taut between his large hands. He cleared his throat, took a breath, and began to read:
Proto Thema, June 29, 2025
Bones Found in Garden of Lottery Winner’s House
Police were called to a house on the island of Folegandros after bones were discovered in the rear garden of a property in Ano Meria. The shallow grave emerged following the recent storms, which caused part of an old wall to collapse and expose the cavity beneath.Proto Themaunderstands that the site was not marked by a stone, nor were the bones encased in a casket or other covering. A local police officer confirmed, “We were called at 3:45 p.m. to the report that the homeowner had discovered the bones while inspecting her garden for damage. The discovery was removed and is in the process of being analyzed to determine whether the bones are animal or human.”
A freelance journalist who happened to be in the village at the time toldProto Themathat he spoke with the owner of the house, a Ms. Skye MacKinnon, 34, who claimed, “The most likely scenario is that the bones were someone’s pet dog or cat.”
Ms. MacKinnon, who hails from England, secured the formerly derelict house as part of a €1 lottery scheme run by the municipality of Folegandros in a bid to revive the area. She has spent the past four weeks renovating the property with the help of local contractor Andreas Vithoulkas (both pictured). The house is one of six at the heart of the scheme, all of which were abandoned in the final days of the Second World War.
Ms. MacKinnon’s neighbor Victoria Beaumont, 37, admitted that the bones are not the first discovery made by the island’s newest residents, and that her husband, Adam Beaumont, a lawyer and keen photographer, had recently bought a metal detector in order to search the grounds of their own property.
“We believe this is only the beginning,” Victoria told the journalist. “Whatever secrets the village has been hiding, we’re determined to dig them all up.”
Folegandros was occupied during the war, initially predominantly by Italian forces until their surrender in September 1943, when the Germans attempted to seize control of the Cyclades Islands. Atrocities were commonplace, and in many areas across Greece, entire villages were destroyed, local people executed, and houses burned. It is not yet known what occurred on this small hillside plot in Ano Meria, but perhaps the discovery of these bones will prove to be the first clue.
Andreas lowered the newspaper, his face impassive.
Skye felt as if she’d been turned to stone. Her name. They had used not only her photograph but her full name, the location of the house, the details about how she’d acquired it.
“Proto Thema,” she said faintly. “Is it a local newspaper or—?”
“Óchi,” Andreas said slowly. “It’s one of the most popular Sunday newspapers in all of Greece.”
Skye swallowed.
“Right,” she said. Then more decisively: “Right.”
There was only one thought in her mind, and it was persuasive enough to propel her into motion. She reached the stairs and took them two at a time, her sneakers scuffing the white-painted boards.
“Where are you going?” Joy called.
Skye ignored her. In her bedroom, she yanked down her suitcase from the top of her wardrobe and threw it onto the bed, grabbing shoes, handfuls of underwear, leggings, shorts, and shirts.
Joy and Andreas appeared in the doorway.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Packing,” Skye replied.
“Why? Where are you going?”
“Away.”
“Away to where?”
“Just away.”
“Because of the article?” Joy asked.
