Home Alone for the Holidays

By Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Wellington Thornhill Books of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has quite a remarkable cat in Archimedes. When left alone in his cozy home during the holidays, Archimedes discovers his true calling as the ultimate defender against the agents from the Department of Imperial Inconveniences. What this holidays needs is a touch of feline magic. Archimedes proves that even the most ordinary-looking cat can be a hero in disguise.

Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ImagineThat Studios
• Release date: Dec 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370885626

Pip Ballantine

Born in New Zealand, Philippa (Pip) Ballantine has always had her head in a book. A corporate librarian for thirteen years, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. She is New Zealand's first podcast novelist and has produced four podiobooks. Many of these have been shortlisted for the Parsec Awards, and she has won a Sir Julius Vogel Award. She is also the author of Geist and the soon-to-be-published Spectyr. While New Zealand calls, currently Philippa calls America home.

Book preview

Home Alone for the Holidays

Home Alone for the Holidays

TEE MORRIS

Published by Imagine That! Studios 2016

Copyright © 2016 by Tee Morris

Interior Layout by Imagine That! Studios

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner.

Also by Tee Morris

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (with Pip Ballantine)

Phoenix Rising

The Janus Affair

Dawn’s Early Light

The Diamond Conspiracy

The Ghost Rebellion

Operation Endgame

Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven (with Pip Ballantine)

The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh

The Mystery of Emerald Flame

The Secret of the Monkey God

Anthologies

The Books and Braun Dossier

Magical Mechanications

Ministry Protocol: Thrilling Tales from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

Contents

Home Alone for the Holidays

Christmas Eve, 1896

My name is Archimedes. No, not the philosopher, but that is where my name come from. I am not as unusual as one would think. I sleep. I wake. I eat. Just as any creature of God’s creation does after a time on Earth. However, things become peculiar—to coin a word—when we get into specific details of my life.

Hunting is my preferred sport. Not entirely unusual.

I enjoy a good nap in the sunlight. Rather particular, but still not unheard