Tall And True Short Reads

Nick's Helper

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Two: A Fast Car — Part Three

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Two: A Fast Car — Part Two

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 tr...

The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Two: A Fast Car — Part One

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

A Heart-Shaped Teal Tattoo

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — One: Rock Fishing

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Nine Lives of Leo Roberts — Prologue: The Clinic

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Introducing Season Five

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writings from the Tall And True writers' website, wr...

Kris Kringle - Xmas 2024

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ear...

Twin Souls in the Universe

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

My Speech

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

For the Sake of a Story

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, Waggli...

You Have Been Warned

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 fi...

The Light Above

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The White and Blue Niles

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

One of Those Mornings

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 int...

Different Journeys

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 frien...

The Lost and Found Story

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 po...

A New Jack

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Less than forty-eight hours after receiving her online order, Third Age Cybertronics delivered Jack to Daisy, a sprightly centenarian who purchased th...

A Good Story

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 col...

Moving On

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 checke...

Finding Inspiration

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

The Lonely Moon

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 tr...

A Knock at the Door

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"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...

Kris Kringle - Xmas 2023

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

In Her Head

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cassie lay perfectly still in bed, staring at the shadowy shape on the ceiling overhead. A bulky body and eight legs, a spider, but this wasn't Incy W...

Tall And True Microfiction Anthology

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I discovered microfiction when I reviewed Loopholes by Susan McCreery in 2017. By definition, brevity is the key to good microfiction. The stories in ...

A Better Poem

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"Roses are red, violets are blue, I spend my day, thinking of you." Davey reviewed the poem in his exercise book. "Thinking" is what you did at school...

Some Things Change - Perth, Western Australia, 2023

22 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's only early spring, but I'm starting to sweat in Mum and Dad's back garden. I wore my dark English suit for Dad's funeral, and if etiquette permit...

Some Things Change - London, England, 1992

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's a chilly winter morning, and the central heating has barely warmed my flat. I'm rugged up in a jumper and Ugg boots, and the kettle's boiling. Th...

Some Things Change - Perth, Western Australia, 1979

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's a hot summer afternoon, with no sign of the Freo Doctor. Despite the heat, I'm climbing the tree in Gran's backyard with my brothers and boy cous...

Introducing Season Four

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Season Four will start with a multi-part, longer short story I wrote in June 2023, Some Things Change, consisting of three vignettes set in different ...

Taking a Bow

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I fell in love with live theatre when I saw my first London West End play as a newly-arrived backpacker in 1987. Over the next eight years, living in ...

My Dreams

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I'm in the middle of a dream, though it might be nearer the beginning or end. Who can tell with dreams? I'm on a rocket, and the final countdown's beg...

My Most Memorable Wimbledon

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I was weaned on Wimbledon in Australia. Year after year, I'd stayed up half the night to watch the finals on TV. And here I was in the northern hemisp...

Past Demons

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan woke with jackhammers pounding in his head and a tongue so furry it felt like it needed waxing. "Last time," he croaked, rolling onto his back a...

Writing True Sentences

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The brief for October 2021's Furious Fiction was to set the short story in a COURT, include a character who measures something, and the words BALLOON,...

Family Reflections

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mum's up first, though she doesn't like looking at her reflection nowadays. She splashes her face and turns away from me with a towel. Over her should...

My Good Dog and Muse

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I met Harry when he was six months old. He was the last of his litter, hiding under a kitchen table. And when the breeder dragged him out, Harry flopp...

Decisions

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer swivelled her chair away from the laptop and stared at the lights receding into the distance beyond the high-rise office window. Her eyes had...

Two Visits to the Berlin Wall - Part Two

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After living and working in England from 1987, my wife and I returned to Australia in 1995, overland. Michael Palin's 1991 BBC series, Pole to Pole, i...

Two Visits to the Berlin Wall - Part One

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, approaching the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I found a timely book in a secondhand bookshop: The Berlin Wall, 13 August 1...

The Magical Lamp

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Handcuffed in the police car, I wished the lamp hadn't been magical. "That, sir, is a genuine antique," the stallholder had asserted when I'd stopped ...

Alice Nannup and My Nan

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Henry Rollins said, "A great way to learn about your country is to leave it." And I learned a lot about Australia while living overseas from 1987 to 1...

The New Fifty

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eighty is the new fifty, or so I'm told. But my back wasn't this dodgy when I was fifty, and my knees lasted longer than a circuit of the park with th...

Kris Kringle - Xmas 2022

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I'm taking a short break from writing and podcasting over the Xmas/New Year holiday period. But as a special treat for podcast listeners, I've put tog...

Memories and Imagination

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The writer John Banville observed, "Memory is imagination, and imagination is memory. I don't think we remember the past, we imagine it." I have vivid...

Are We There Yet?

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"Are we there yet?" Milly whines from the back seat. "I'm bored," adds Tyler. "Oh, for goodness sake!" I snap, eyeballing the pair in the rear vision ...

Timeline Memories

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I dread mornings like these when Facebook floods my timeline memories with posts and photos of Jas and the kids. On social media, we're still a happy ...

Council Clean-ups and Recycling

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One fine October Sunday in 2020, I returned home from the morning dog walk to be greeted with the news our annual council clean-up was happening on Mo...

Kurd Friends in the Mountains

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My wife and I visited Turkey in 1988. We had endured our first English winter and spent two weeks hugging the coastal sites and sunny beaches. We retu...

Once Upon A Time

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This story begins at the end. But my time spent observing your planet has taught me humans like to process events and information in an orderly, if no...

Tall And True Short Reads - Season Three

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writing written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from...

My Marxist Philosophy Class

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In February 1998, I started an eight-week evening college course, Introduction to Philosophy. I was in my mid-thirties, and while I was aware of philo...

Thanks Ian St James Awards

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In their heyday, the Ian St James Awards offered the biggest fiction prize in the UK and Ireland. Launched by the thriller writer Ian St James in 1989...

The Lost Hour

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You know what it's like when you lose something. It's always in the last place you look. So I write down all the possible places the lost thing could ...

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton - Omen or Inspiration

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In May 1992, the Sydney literary news was full of Tim Winton's success and his novel, Cloudstreet. And I thought it an omen. Winton was thirty-one, an...

Stuck in Time

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's 1997. I'm fifteen, and Dad's delivering another lecture on my poor prospects: "If you carry on like this, son, you'll end up in prison." I won't ...

Six Weeks in Teal

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018, I shared a blog post about My Week in Politics, handing out how-to-vote cards for Dr Kerryn Phelps, an independent candidate for Wentwor...

The Special Tree

08 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The tree stood in front of a vacant block at the end of the street. It had thick, leafy branches and was easy to climb. It was Matty's special place. ...

Departure

24 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Airports are the same the world over. Full of frenetic activity, people coming and going, joyful reunions and teary-eyed farewells. Though not in the ...

Milestone Reflections

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

My parents separated in 1967 when I was five, and my younger brother and I went to live with our grandparents. Nan looked old to my young eyes, and le...

A Night Out

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Their eyes locked across a crowded room at the cocktail bar. He looked well-heeled and handsome, and his brazen gaze told her he knew it. But she was ...

Judgement

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The policewoman at the front of the Court is trying to catch my eye. I have a thing for women in uniform. It's what attracted me to my wife. That nigh...

Memories of Tuesdays With Morrie

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I post a #bookcovers and #firstsentences homage series on Instagram (as @tallandtrueweb) featuring fiction and nonfiction from my bookcase. Sharing th...

The People Were Happy

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A long time ago, poverty, floods, droughts, famines and war blighted a pale-blue planet. But the people endured the hardships and were happy. They bel...

The Winner's Toast

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"And the winner is–" Zoom freezes on my laptop. But I don't care. From the gallery director's opening comments in her awards speech, praising this y...

Writing Can Be Lonely

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writing can be lonely, especially if you're living on your own in a cramped flat, in another country, far away from family and friends. So when I live...

A Free Spirit

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nadine lies on her mattress on the floor of the attic. She stares up at the naked light bulb hanging from the ceiling and the moth circling it. Wind g...

The Spirit of Xmas

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When I was a boy, I thought the spirit of Xmas was receiving: from my overflowing Santa Sack and gifts under the Xmas tree. Then I grew up, and for me...

Cancelled

19 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The shitstorm hit the Twitter fan overnight. Deeman had thought his followers would laugh at his sarcastic tweet. He'd watched a news clip about refug...

My One Night Stand

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In my writer’s bio on Tall And True, I admit I've enjoyed a one night stand. It was November 2003, but I remember the night like it was yesterday. I...

Reminiscing with Alice

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The golden glow of Norman's youth was a distant memory. The passing years had added aches and pains and padding, and his soft and doughy love handles ...

My Favourite Libraries

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A friend shared a Facebook post from November 2017, inviting the reader to "Step Inside the World's Coolest Library". The futuristically designed libr...

Welcome to the Lucky Country

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The group trekked for several weeks over rough terrain to reach the border town. On the way, they pooled their meagre resources and precious reserves ...

Signed Stark by Ben Elton

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In October 2017, I attended a premiere screening of Three Summers. After the film, there was a Q&A session with the writer/director, Ben Elton. As...

Lagermind

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Ladies and gentlemen, though I use that term loosely," the pub laughed, and the MC smiled. Laughter signalled the crowd was well lubricated. The publ...

Days of Gentle Rejections

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In these days of instant gratification, it's hard to believe once upon a time, wanna-be writers would type and print their manuscripts, post them to p...

The Last Book That Made You Cry

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Penguin Books Australia posted a question on Facebook in August 2017: What is the last book that made you cry? The books could evoke tears of joy or s...

Tall And True Short Reads - Season Two

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Tall And True Short Reads podcast features short stories, blog posts and other writing written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And T...

Both Sides of the Story - Bad News - Part Two

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bad News - Part Two (England, 1993): I woke in the middle of the night with a full bladder from the beers and more than a little aroused from a dream ...

Both Sides of the Story - Bad News - Part One

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bad News - Part One (England, 1993): The evening news was depressing—all bad as usual—and the weekend weather looked just as gloomy. I got up and ...

Both Sides of the Story - The Gym

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Gym (England, 1993): "Come on, Winnie, push." Winston arched his back and strained against the bar. "Push!" The muscles in Winston's arms and ches...

Both Sides of the Story - A Council Flat

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A Council Flat (England, 1993): The sound of the twins fighting in the bedroom filled the flat. Their screams drowned out the drone of sport on the TV...

Both Sides of the Story - Bosnia

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

(Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1993): The roar of explosives devastated the peace of the valley. Tibor had covered his ears with his hands before Milo flick...

Both Sides of the Story - Westminster

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Westminster (England, 1993): "Madam Speaker, I —" Baxter groaned and lifted the pen. He stuck the end in his mouth and sucked on it, searching for a...

Both Sides of the Story - Introduction

13 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Phil Collins released Both Sides of the Story in October 1993. It was a catchy song, but I remember it more for the music video. Scenes of homelessnes...

Signs of the Second Coming

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At primary school in Perth, Western Australia, in the 1970s, I had a teacher who was also a lay preacher on the weekends. Before schoolwork, he starte...

Memories and Marshmallows

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The sky-blue swell pounded the breakwater at Borthel on Sea in a steady rhythm. John gazed out at the mountains across the broad bay and drew a deep c...

Back to School - Chapter Six

09 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The headmaster sighed and shut out the old memory. He leaned forward on his desk. "Edwards, your marks and behaviour this year have been poor enough t...

Back to School - Chapter Five

01 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hamilton leaned back, tapping the tips of his fingers together in contemplation. "An interesting dream, Edwards. What do you make of it?" Charlie shif...

Back to School - Chapter Four

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hamilton held up a hand. "You mean to tell me, Edwards, you dreamed about the house where you live with your parents?" The boy shook his head. "No, si...

Back to School - Chapter Three

18 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Charlie took another deep breath to calm himself. "Well, Mr Hamilton, it was the weirdest dream I've ever had. It was more like watching TV than a dre...

Back to School - Chapter Two

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The headmaster tapped his pen on the punishment column in the discipline file. "I'm waiting, Edwards. Why do you want to come back to school next year...

Back to School - Chapter One

04 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The wooden bench in the hallway outside the headmaster's office was hard. It made you squirm. But once you'd sat on it, you daren't wriggle to relieve...

The Performance

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Three minutes into the performance, and I stifled a yawn. Crammed in the front row with a clutch of fellow bored hacks, I hoped no one had noticed. Ho...

Three Minute Microfiction

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

By its definition, the key to good microfiction is brevity. There is no time for plot and character development; every word must count. The writer plu...

The Choice

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We hit the road at sunrise. Anna complained about packing the bikes in the pre-dawn dark. But we had to make up for the kilometres we'd lost yesterday...

Classroom Conservation

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

My class had a lesson on "conservation" at school today. Miss said it's where people reuse old things or use new things more thoughtfully. Or do stuff...

The Gift

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Happy anniversary, Darl." My blank look doesn't wipe the smile from his face. "It's our double anniversary, remember?" he prompts, presenting me with...