Spinalonga Island · The Ones Who Were Sent Across

Off the north coast of Crete lies a small island that served as a leper colony in the first half of the twentieth century: once a patient was taken across, no boat brought anyone back. The island had a village, a church, shops and a bakery — a small society that ran itself.

The last patients left in 1957. The island has been empty since; the stone houses and the church remain in the sun.

Everyone who has been there mentions the same thing: the island is quiet, quiet enough that you hear your own steps on the stone stairs. Locals say it is not the wind.

Haunted Ruins / Crete · Greece / 1904