Folks said it seemed like a curse had fallen on Coven Tree. Wells were running dry, livestock suffered, great cracks crisscrossed farmers' fields, no crops could be planted. Rain had become more valuable than gold.Then a miracle happened: Dr. Dredd and his Wagon of Wonders came to town, and among his "wonders" was a young boy called Bufu the Rainmaker. At first the townspeople were skeptical -- moments later they were dancing for joy, faces turned up into a driving rain. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the rain stopped."More rain!" somebody yelled. Dr. Dredd's toothy smile grew wide. Yes, he could command Bufu to make more rain -- but what it would cost Coven Tree, he wouldn't say. Not yet.Those who thought rain would be worth whatever it cost didn't know what Bufu knew. And when fourteen-year-old Ellen McCabe found Bufu cowering in her family's woodshed later that night, seeking sanctuary from his evil master, all of Coven Tree soon would know the terrible wrath -- and frightening powers -- of Dr. Hugo Dredd.