Whiskey and Water ( short story ) Whiskey and Water was the twelfth short story in the Short Trips anthology " " . It was written by Marc Platt . It featured the Sixth Doctor . Summary . The Doctor finds himself near Ajax Creek in California . Nearby he finds some belongings and looks through them , concerned that the owner is lost . He finds a deed for gold mining in the creek and a letter . Both belong to John Pengelly . A man with glittering eyes appears . The Doctor greets him , but the man cries out and runs off , quoting from the letter as he runs . The Doctor gives chase . John runs practically underneath some horse s pulling a stagecoach . The horses pull up , and the driver , Hank , falls off . In the confusion , John runs off , and the Doctor stops to help Hank , who has a concussion . From inside the stagecoach , a woman points a gun at the Doctor , afraid he is going to rob her . He assures her he isn ' t , and she urges Hank to get back up and continue driving . Hank is in no condition to drive , so the other occupant of the coach , Walter Crabtree , puts Hank in the coach . The woman plans to drive the coach , and the Doctor sits with her . She introduces herself as Lola Montez , the danseuse . When the Doctor makes a sarcastic comment , however , she knocks him off the stagecoach and drives off . The Doctor makes his way to Ajax Camp , still looking for Pengelly . He enters the Ajax Saloon and asks for Pengelly , but is met by hostile silence . The owner of the saloon , however , introduces himself as Job Clemens and offers the Doctor a drink of watered - down whiskey , which is the way they drink it in Ajax . The Doctor explains why he is looking for Pengelly , and Clemens takes the deed from him . He offers the Doctor a percentage , but the Doctor wants to give the deed back to Pengelly . Clemens becomes irritated , and wants the Doctor to pay for his drinks . Lola provides a distraction by entering and complaining about the condition of the piano . Clemens coldly reminds her that she signed a contract . Before things can turn ugly , the Doctor offers to tune the piano as payment for his drinks . As the Doctor tunes the piano , the whiskey is affecting him . He giggles as he plays the keys . Water in tumblers dances , and he seems to see phantoms . Clemens argues with a Chinese man , and there is the sound of breaking glass . The Doctor wakes up , severely dehydrated . There is no one in sight except for the frightened Chinese man . He introduces himself as Chum Jian and tells the Doctor that he and his brothers came to California from Shanghai but they are now dead men with golden eyes . Chum tells the Doctor that the stream has moved . On the bar are stacks of tumblers . One glass , stacked underneath several others , has a bit of water in it . The water is trying to get out . Lola and Walter appear . The four of them look across the street and see that Clemens is barricaded in the assay office . The Doctor calls across to him but is met by rifle shots . The four in the saloon discuss the water and why they are the only ones in town not affected . Lola only drinks her whiskey neat , Chum and Walter ( and Clemens ) don ' t drink whiskey , and the Doctor , though affected , was able to resist . They begin discussing home , and the Doctor tears up . He goes outside to see the golden stream making its way up the street . He jumps in the water to communicate with it . While he does so , Lola will distract the possessed miners by dancing for them . The Doctor learns that the gold comes from the rings of Saturn and was brought to Earth by way of a meteor storm that passed through the rings . The gold is not hostile ; it merely wants to get home . The water heads for the assay office , but Clemens tries to resist . It carries him away , killing him , and gathers all the gold together . It can ' t get home again , but it makes its way north to the magnetic pole , where it can be cooler . Notes . " to be added " Continuity . " to be added "