Table 85 – Chapter 76: The Key. The Serial Story Continues

Today is Tuesday, 20 October 2026 – 72 days until New Year’s Eve. And this is the chapter we promised you: Chapter 76 of “Table 85”, our serial story in which you decide what happens next. It was meant to arrive around 16 October and is four days late – so it carries the promised number 76, not the number of days that are left today.

First things first: since Friday, 16 October, we are back – ready to welcome you and look after you, with a genuine smile and warm hospitality. We have recharged our batteries. Welcome to Greece.

As always, a note up front: the taverna, the people and Table 85 are entirely fictional. They are not real guests, and the story says nothing about our restaurant, our menu or our everyday life.

The result of your vote

To be honest: nobody voted under Chapter 85. We read the replies under the ballot – there was not a single one. We had announced that in this case the editorial team would toss a coin. Because a coin has only two sides and every question has three answers, we drew lots instead: a random generator picked one letter for each question. The result is 1B and 2A. So Nora opens the envelope only after the first bite, and the fourth guest is simply late and walks right through the door. Chance chose this, not you – next time, please you.

Chapter 76: The Key

Tuesday, 7:52 p.m. The bread is half eaten, the fourth chair still empty. Nora holds the envelope in one hand and a piece of bread in the other.

“Eat first,” says Ilias. “It’s easier to decide that way.”

Nora takes a bite. The bread is warm, the crust crackles, and for two seconds the envelope doesn’t matter. Then she peels off the strip of blue tape. Mrs. Brandt holds her breath. Ilias pretends to look elsewhere.

Inside the envelope lies a small key of matte brass, with no tag. And a note, in the same pencil handwriting: “If you are reading this, you have started. That was the test. The key fits where I am about to arrive.”

“That’s nonsense,” says Mrs. Brandt. But she says it very quietly.

Then the door opens. Cold air, a wet coat, an umbrella still dripping. A man, late forties, out of breath, scans the room for a moment and heads straight for Table 85.

“Sorry,” he says. “The bus. I’m late, I know.”

He stops in front of the fourth chair and sees the key in Nora’s hand. For the first time, he smiles. “You started,” he says. “Good. Then I’ll tell you what it’s for. But first I’m ordering what I always order.”

He sits down. Ilias raises a hand. The waitress is already coming with her notepad, and it looks as if she knows what he means.

End of Chapter 76.

Your decision: one question, one letter

Reply to the comment “Chapter 76 – Ballot” under this article, for example like this: B. That’s all it takes.

What is the key for? A – A door: an apartment, a house, a place someone is meant to return to. B – A small box: something small and locked with a memory inside. C – Nothing anymore: the lock is long gone, only the key remains.

The majority writes Chapter 0. In case of a tie, or with no votes at all, we draw lots again – and tell you.

The big question: open a stranger’s envelope or leave it?

Nora opened it after the first bite. Was that right? Team Open says: if you’re curious, you don’t have to ask permission first. Team Leave says: an envelope without a name belongs to nobody – and that is exactly why it isn’t yours. These are the arguments of both sides, not measurements. Write us one sentence under the comment “The big question”.

The timetable until New Year’s Eve

Chapter 85 – the fourth chair (7 October, told). Chapter 76 – the key, four days after the announced date. Chapter 0 – the finale on 31 December. If only a few votes arrive we say so openly, and the same if none do.

72 days until New Year’s Eve

Back for you: Mastiha Mezedopolio, Arndtstraße 12, 10965 Berlin-Kreuzberg, reservations at 030 612 85 386. The next Drachmen Fest comes in a year – as every year. Your Mastiha Berlin Team

Welcome to Greece.