The Burning Day and collections Other Strange Stories by Payseur, Charles NEUF

The secrets of lives not shared, not taken, not known, all can be found in the eclectic fiction of author Charles Payseur. A sentient star deals with the trauma of their binary partner having collapsed into a black hole, and gets a little inspiration from the intrepid humans that happen by; a lumberjack must weigh his own safety and comfort against the lives of the dryads whose bodies and blood could buy him the life he desires; a young man deals with the loss of his fathers in a future where cold has claimed much of the globe; on a special holiday, people gather to burn their burdens from the previous year, collections unknowing if theyll return again with the next day; and on a ship maintained by cats and powered by ectoplasmic energies, the Emperor of All Things has died, and a young man is given a very unique opportunity.