Dr. Dredd's Wagon of Wonders

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.