The Story

The house had always stood at the edge of Hydra’s bustling harbor, a place where the echoes of the past whispered through the stone walls. In 1960, it was a quiet retreat, still untouched by the tourism boom that would soon sweep across the Greek islands. Owned by an elderly widow named Eleni, the house was a stone-and-wood beauty, nestled in the curve of the coastline. Her late husband, a painter, had purchased it decades earlier, and it had always been more than just a house—it was a home for memories. Their guests were few, mostly artists and intellectuals who sought inspiration in the island’s peaceful isolation.

But when Eleni passed away, her children decided to turn the house into a hotel. They refurbished the old building, keeping its charm but adding modern comforts. It was the perfect mix of nostalgia and progress. They named it The Painted Room, a nod to the vibrant murals their father had painted on the walls in his youth.

The hotel quickly became a favorite among writers, artists, and tourists who wanted to escape the more crowded parts of Hydra. The scent of saltwater and jasmine drifted through the open windows, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below lulled guests to sleep at night. But for some, it wasn’t just the beauty of the place that drew them in—it was the mystery.

By the 1980s, The Painted Room was a well-known spot on Hydra. The island had become a retreat for celebrities, and the hotel’s secluded charm made it a perfect escape for those who wanted privacy. But with the influx of visitors came the inevitable changes. Eleni’s children, now elderly themselves, had sold the hotel to an investor who was keen on modernizing the place.

The new owners brought in foreign designers, tearing down walls to open up the space, replacing the antique furniture with sleek, minimalist pieces. They added a swimming pool, cutting into the garden’s peaceful serenity. The island, too, was changing—new ferries brought more and more tourists, the cobbled streets grew crowded, and the once-isolated charm of Hydra began to fade.

But despite the renovations, something about The Painted Room remained unchanged. The small courtyard, with its hidden door, still held its secrets. Only a few knew the real story of the room behind it.
In 1985, an American writer named Michael came to stay at the hotel. He was working on a book about Greek mythology and had heard rumors about the old house’s history. When he first arrived, he was enchanted by the beauty of the place, but it wasn’t long before the strange pull of the hidden room began to stir his curiosity.

By the early 2000s, The Painted Room had transformed into a luxury hotel catering to wealthy clientele from around the world. The old house, once a sanctuary for artists, now hosted celebrities and business magnates who didn’t care for the history beneath their feet. The hotel had shed most of its former charm, replaced by pristine white walls, sleek design, and high-end service.

But the old courtyard still held a trace of the past, the secret door still there, untouched by the hands of modernity.

In 2005, a young woman named Elena checked into the hotel. She was a journalist, researching the cultural shifts of Greek islands as tourism continued to alter their landscapes. She had heard stories about Hydra, about its mythic past, and about the peculiar things that had happened in The Painted Room over the years. But what drew her to the island most was the house’s history—how it had stood for so long, a relic of a different time.

One evening, after an interview with a local historian, Elena wandered into the hotel’s courtyard and stood before the door. The key, as it turned out, was still hidden behind the reception desk, waiting for someone to find it.
This time, when the door opened, she wasn’t surprised to find the trunk. It was as if the island had been waiting for her, just as it had waited for Michael years ago. The journals were still there, the pages yellowing with age, but this time there was something new. As Elena flipped through them, she found a sketch—an image of the house with the same strange symbols etched along the walls.