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 written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/nicks-helper/

Read the story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/nicks-helper

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/nicks-helper/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

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 an interconnected short story written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-two-a-fast-car-part-three/

Read Robert's writing on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-two-a-fast-car-part-three/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

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 an interconnected short story written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-two-a-fast-car-part-two/

Read Robert's writing on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-two-a-fast-car-part-two/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

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 — Part One is an interconnected short story written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-two-a-fast-car-part-one/

Read Robert's writing on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-two-a-fast-car-part-one/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

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 written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/a-heart-shaped-teal-tattoo/

Read the post with a photo of my heart-shaped teal tattoo on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/a-heart-shaped-teal-tattoo

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/a-heart-shaped-teal-tattoo/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

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 an interconnected short story written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-one-rock-fishing/

Read Robert's writing on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-one-rock-fishing/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

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 an interconnected short story written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers' website.

See episode show notes and links on the podcast website:https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-prologue-the-clinic/

Read Robert's writing on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes:https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/the-nine-lives-of-leo-roberts-prologue-the-clinic/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.

Most episodes from the past four seasons of Tall And True Short Reads 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 narrating a series of interconnected short stories titled The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts.

Season Five Trailer episode show notes and links on the podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/introducing-season-five/

Buy Robert's short story and microfiction collections:

• Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
• Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
• Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Production Notes

Royalty-free theme music from Pixabay.com - Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 'Pastorale' - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan:

https://pixabay.com/music/solo-piano-beethoven-piano-sonata-nr-15-in-d-major-op-28-pastoral-iv-rondo-allegro-ma-non-troppo-30/

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from Freesound.org - see show notes: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/introducing-season-five/

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity.

Episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the lands of the traditional owners and storytellers, the Gadigal people.