Tall And True Short Reads

The job offer notification pops up on my phone early on Christmas Eve. It's a short-term role helping with overnight deliveries. The regular delivery driver has hurt his back and needs an offsider for heavy lifting. Nick's Helper is a short story by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website. Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/nicks-h...

Bernie sat by himself on the far side of the emergency department waiting room. Elsie and Rita were sitting together, near the doors to the operating theatres. Elsie was sobbing, and Bernie wanted to console her, but he couldn't face Rita's wrath again. "It's all your fault, Bernie!" she'd shouted at him. The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Two: A Fast Car — Part Three is a short story by Robert Fairh...

Leo sat in sullen silence in the front passenger seat, staring out the windscreen, as Bernie’s car strained, towing his secondhand car on a hired trailer up the hills to the abandoned quarry. Bernie had known Leo since the boy was eight and had taught him the things a father would normally teach a son. The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Two: A Fast Car — Part Two is a short story by Robert Fairhead f...

Elsie thought it unlikely Leo would tell her the truth about the unregistered secondhand car he’d asked family friend Bernie to tow to the abandoned quarry. But she still pressed her sixteen-year-old great-nephew about it over breakfast at the kitchen table. "Are you planning to drive it around the quarry, dear?" "Nah, I wouldn't do that, Aunty." The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Two: A Fast Car — P...

In November 2024, I met with the Volunteer Coordinator for my local MP, Allegra Spender, who asked if I'd help with the 2025 Federal Election campaign. I'd campaigned for Allegra in 2022 and assisted with her post-election events, so of course, I said yes. But I didn't expect that six months later I'd end up with a heart-shaped teal tattoo! A Heart-Shaped Teal Tattoo is a blog post by Robert Fairh...

Uncle Bernie parked his car alongside the dunes behind the rock fishing beach. Nursing a bucket in the back seat, Leo had vomited several times during the drive, and the last bumpy section on the off-road track leading to the beach hadn't helped. "Chuck up in the bucket," Uncle Bernie had warned him. "I don't want any stains on the upholstery." The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — One: Rock Fishing is...

The terrace house door creaks open, and the women sitting in the converted front room glance at the newcomers: another nervous-looking young woman in her late teens or early twenties and an older woman, probably her mother, judging by their shared chubby features. The two women cross to the receptionist's desk. The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Prologue: The Clinic is a short story by Robert Fairhea...

Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writings from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead. "Most episodes from the past four seasons of the podcast are standalone, but I've also released multipart episodes for longer short stories. For Season Five, I'm doing something different. I'm writing and narrat...

Since Episode 100, I've taken a break from podcasting to plan a new direction for Season Five of Tall And True Short Reads, which I hope to launch early next year. Meanwhile, I've "gift-wrapped" the first episodes from Seasons One to Four of the podcast for this year's bumper Kris Kringle episode. The stories written and narrated by Robert Fairhead for The Kris Kringle - Xmas 2024 first appeared o...

If you thought about it, the process for selecting the first matter transference test pilot was archaic, although Mae considered it a lucky omen when she drew the Blue 15 raffle ticket. Blue, not pink, was her favourite colour as a girl, and at 15, Mae had decided she wanted to become an astronaut. Twin Souls in the Universe is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and nar...

I'm getting too old for this. My speechwriter's pulse quickens as the PM mounts the flag-decked stage, flanked by senior ministers and mining industry executives, to announce her government's green coal plan. Panned by environmentalists and scientists, polling suggests it could be a vote winner … if the PM nails my speech. My Speech is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written...

The local dog club, where I volunteered as a trainer for twenty years, ran season-ending Fun Days with events like Fancy Dress, Agility Slalom, Waggliest Tail, and other novelty races that changed from year to year. One of my favourites was the Sack Race, where my dear old dog and I always placed third. For the Sake of a Story is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and nar...

Excuse me, humanity, please pay attention. I have an urgent message. "What? Not in the middle of my reality TV show!" I'm sorry. I'll be brief. But first, a little background. My message concerns the fate of a pale blue dot in the inky expanse of the universe. Beyond its fragile borders is vast nothingness. You Have Been Warned is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and...

I open my eyes, blink and try to focus on the bright lights set into the white ceiling flying past overhead. I hear beeps and muffled voices. It feels like I'm strapped to a camp stretcher, but it's moving. I'm on a hospital gurney. What happened? I want to ask. But there's a tube down my throat, and I can't talk. The Light Above is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written an...

In 1987, my wife and I shouldered our backpacks and set off from Australia. The plan was to live and work overseas in England for two years, using it as a base for UK and wider world travels. And the widest of these were inspired by reading books like Alan Moorehead's The White Nile and The Blue Nile . The White and Blue Niles is a travel blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written...

Have you ever had one of those mornings? You know, where everything goes wrong. It's like a farce, a series of mishaps increasing in frequency and intensity that have you howling with side-splitting laughter or shedding tears of frustration. One of Those Mornings is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: htt...

Teresa's first thing in the morning text message was a punch in the guts. "Sorry, Colin. I love you, but we're on different journeys. Let's stay friends." I blinked twice to clear my eyes and was about to respond, "Are you serious?" but threw the phone against the bedroom wall instead. Different Journeys is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairh...

I've lost a few things over the years but never imagined losing a story! I only realised I'd "lost" A Window Table when I started working on a blog post to mark my fourth anniversary of writing Furious Fictions. However, when I found and read a copy of the story, I didn't recognise its plot or characters. This double-feature episode includes the short story A Window Table and a companion blog post...

Less than forty-eight hours after receiving her online order, Third Age Cybertronics delivered Jack to Daisy, a sprightly centenarian who purchased the Advanced Companion Droid to help her with household chores and carry her bags when travelling. A New Jack is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead . Read the story on Tall And True: https://w...

My first "published" writing was an Enid Blyton- Famous Five -style adventure story, Sand Island , in 1972. I wrote the story and illustrated it with coloured Texta markers. My aunt, the only one in our family with a typewriter, typed up the manuscript. And my father helped bind and cover the book. I was ten. A Good Story is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated...

Eighteen-year-old Hugo glanced up at the train station clock. It seemed time had stood still, with the minute hand barely moved since he'd last checked. He confirmed the time on his watch and then looked at the departure board, breathing a sigh of relief. His train was running on schedule. Moving On is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead ....

While sorting through storage boxes at home, I found an old notebook belonging to my son. It wasn't a school exercise book but something he'd jotted and doodled in as a twelve-year-old. Among its random pages was a short story he'd written in 2014 about a father who doesn't have "great ideas". Trigger warning: This episode mentions teenage self-harm and death. Lifeline Australia: https://www.lifel...

If you ask me, the Moon is the best object in the night sky. And you don't need an expensive telescope to observe it. A pair of binoculars does the trick. I'm looking at the Moon now, leaning against a wall to steady my hands, and it's a beautiful sight. No wonder it inspires poets and lovers. The Lonely Moon is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert...

"In space no one can hear you scream. But what if you're deep in the backwoods, in an isolated cabin on a dead-end trail?" Karen set aside the book. A horror story was not ideal reading for the off-grid log cabin Peter had booked for their thirtieth wedding anniversary weekend, especially as she was alone in bed, listening to wind from a storm whistle through cracks in the doors and windows. A Kno...

I'm taking a short break from podcasting because I'm going on a long road trip with my son from Sydney to Western Australia to spend Xmas and New Year with our WA family. But as I did in 2022, I've put together a Kris Kringle collection featuring three episodes from the Tall And True Short Reads archive: Too Late, Lenny , Stuck in Time and Family Reflections . The Kris Kringle - Xmas 2023  st...