Seeking inspiration, hack writer Hector Mortlake embarks on a journey across late 19th century Europe. He invites the people he encounters to submit short stories to a contest but soon the travellers find themselves at an isolated hotel and caught up in a series of suspicious deaths. Could there be something to the local myth of the water nymph after all? Influenced by Hammer horror films and riddled with innuendo, this humorous tale is the first in a new series from prolific author William Stafford.