Tales for the 21st Century

'Tales for the 21st Century' is a collection of diverse short stories written within the last 14 years, featuring vampires, volcanoes, trees, skeletons, and other creatures. It could be considered light horror.
"I woke up to a vague smell of smoke and my first thought was that someone downstairs had burnt a toast again, or a neighbour upstairs had fallen asleep while cooking brunch after a night shift. Whatever it was, this recurring occurrence felt boring. Daylight was peeking from behind the curtains. Now that my brain was shifting into consciousness, I realized that if no smoke alarm was screaming abuse into my ears then no food was being cooked to a cinder." (The End of the World)
"It was still early in the morning and no one had noticed the womon sleeping soundly on a bench. The sun was up, but fortunately the tall trees with long branches reaching over the path were spreading their shadows wide. Within a millisecond I was by her side and spreading my cloak over the suggestive curves of her naked body." (The Faithful Hound)