Twin Souls in the Universe

Twin Souls in the Universe

by | Oct 1, 2024 | Season Four

Tall And True Short Reads

Twin Souls in the Universe

Episode 100 (1 October 2024)

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.

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Twin Souls in the Universe

Show Notes

Season Four: Episode 100 (1 October 2024)

Twin Souls in the Universe 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://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/twin-souls-in-the-universe

Read the “What’s in a Name?” blog post: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/whats-in-a-name

Listen to Episode 8 of Tall And True Short Reads, Splendid Views.

Episode 92 of Tall And True Short Reads, The Lost and Found Story.

Support the podcast: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads

Buy Robert’s short story and microfiction collections online:

Story Insight

I wrote Twin Souls in the Universe, originally titled The Hum of the Universe, for the Australian Writers’ Centre’s August 2024 Furious Fiction writing challenge. Their brief for the 500-word story was:

  • It had to take place UP IN THE AIR.
  • The first sentence had to include a colour and a number — I used a “Blue 15” raffle ticket because blue, not pink, was Mae’s favourite colour as a girl, and at 15, she had decided to become an astronaut.
  • And it had to contain the words DOUBT, PACK and SILENCE (longer variations with the core spelling were permitted).

Expanding on the “UP IN THE AIR” setting, the Writers’ Centre explained characters could not stand on solid ground or in or on water at any point in the story, including in a building or tower attached to the ground, up a tree, or on a boat, etc. They could also be in space but couldn’t set foot on the moon or another planet.

Being a Star Trek fan, this last line about space had me thinking of transporter malfunctions, with Scotty unable to “beam up” and reassemble Captain Kirk. Thus, my story about the first test pilot trial of the matter transference program was born.

Three items of interest for podcast listeners:

  • The main character in my story, Mae, is UP IN THE AIR at all times, although she reflects on things that happened on the ground. Perhaps this broke the criteria because my story wasn’t showcased or longlisted for the August challenge. More likely, other stories were better than mine.
  • I wanted my central characters to pay homage to the pioneers of space travel, hence, Yuri, for the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (of course!). I planned to name my female character Sally after the first American female astronaut, Sally Ride. But as I explained in the “What’s in a Name?” blog post on Tall And True, I’d already used Sally twice, for August 2021 and 2023’s Furious Fictions, Episodes 8 and 92 of Tall And True Short Reads. So, I renamed her Mae after Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel into space.
  • The story was originally titled The Hum of the Universe because it had a different ending. After Yuri said, “I came looking for you”, Mae replied, “I hoped you would”, and suddenly she heard the hum of the universe. The line was a callback to the silence and loneliness her atoms had experienced. But the day after submitting the story, I realised I’d used the wrong callback. So, when I shared it on Tall And True, along with other edits to tighten the narrative, I changed the last line to … and their atoms swirled like twin souls in the universe. And I changed the title!

I made a few more tweaks to the story when drafting the script for this podcast episode, including the last line, which now reads … and their atoms swirled like twin souls dancing to the hum of the universe.

I hope you enjoyed Mae and Yuri’s dance in the universe as much as I enjoyed writing, editing and narrating it. You can read Twin Souls in the Universe and my selected short stories, blog posts and other writings at TallAndTrue.com. You can also buy my short story and microfiction collections from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores — links are available in the Show Notes.

This is Episode 100 of Tall And True Short Reads, a major milestone marking the end of Season Four of the podcast, which I launched in September 2020. I’m taking a short break before the launch of Season Five.

In the meantime, search your favourite feed or the podcast website to listen to all 100 episodes and the season trailers. And follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite podcasting app — doing so helps share my storytelling.

You can support the podcast financially by making a small one-off or regular donation via the Acast Supporter Page.

Finally, thanks for listening to the 100th episode of Tall And True Short Reads. Please tell your family and friends about the podcast and the Tall And True writers’ website.

Podcast Theme and Sound Effects

Royalty-free 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.

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from FreeSound.org:

Production Notes

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity. Podcast episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

Acast Podcast Supporter Page

Support this show: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads.

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Twin Souls in the Universe

My Speech

by | Sep 17, 2024 | Season Four

Tall And True Short Reads

My Speech

Episode 99 (17 September 2024)

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.

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My Speech

Show Notes

Season Four: Episode 99 (17 September 2024)

My Speech 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://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/my-speech

Listen to Episode 90 of Tall And True Short Reads, A Good Story.

Support the podcast: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads

Buy Robert’s short story and microfiction collections online:

Story Insight

I wrote My Speech for the Australian Writers’ Centre’s monthly Furious Fiction writing challenge in September 2023. The brief was:

  • The story must start and end with the same sentence
  • Feature something being inflated
  • And include the words FLAG, FLAME, FLASH, and FLATTER. (Longer versions were okay if they retained the original spelling.)

The first (and last!) sentence, “I’m getting too old for this”, popped into my head immediately.

As for something being “inflated”, I thought of egos, especially after settling on my characters on the stage: the PM, her senior ministers and the mining industry executives. But the “state-sponsored blank cheque to dig more mines and inflate company profits and executive bonuses” suited the story better.

A flag-decked stage for the speech, the flames of climate change, a flash of inspiration and the ministers and mining company executives flattering the PM had me ticking off the rest of the brief.

However, I sailed past the Furious Fiction 500-word limit and had to cull my darlings to reign in the story. But as I commented on social media during the weekend, writing too many words is better than staring at a blank page!

I drew on several pieces of autofiction for the story: I loved Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series and wrote a Blytonesque adventure story as a ten-year-old, Sand Island, the tale of which I narrate in Episode 90 of Tall And True Short Reads, A Good Story. And ever since then, like my speech writer, I’ve felt I have a bestselling novel building inside me.

I enjoyed my furious weekend of writing and was proud when I submitted My Speech to the Writers’ Centre late on Sunday evening. And I was thrilled to find it featured in the Furious Fiction Showcase for September and to read the judge’s thoughts:

Wonderfully observed with a clever framework built around a PM’s speech, the real action happens backstage with our speechwriter (the real heroes of any politician’s profile – yes, even Obama had people writing his words). As jaded as the green coal being proffered onstage, this writer reminisces on how they got here and the kind of writing that actually inspires them. The intermittent snippets of the campaign speech interplay beautifully with the narrator’s growing dissatisfaction – each building to a climax of sorts. The “too old for this” line was made most famous by Danny Glover in the 1980s Lethal Weapon movies, but here it feels equally memorable – instantly relatable for anyone who has ever written words for others!

Interestingly, I’ve not watched any of the Lethal Weapon movies, so I haven’t heard Danny Glover say my opening and closing lines. But I’m sure those of us of a certain age have uttered or thought it at least once or twice!

I hope you enjoy My Speech and that it doesn’t leave you “as jaded as the PM’s green coal”. You can read this and my selected short stories, blog posts and other writing on TallAndTrue.com. You can also buy my short story and microfiction collections from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores — links are available in the show notes.

The next episode of Tall And True Short Reads, the milestone episode 100, will be released shortly. In the meantime, please check your feed or the podcast website for earlier episodes from all four seasons. And follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite podcasting app — doing so helps share my storytelling.

You can support the podcast financially by making a small one-off or regular donation via the Acast Supporter Page.

Finally, please share this episode with family and friends and spread the word about Tall And True Short Reads and the Tall And True writers’ website.

Podcast Theme and Sound Effects

Royalty-free 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.

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from FreeSound.org:

Production Notes

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity. Podcast episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

Acast Podcast Supporter Page

Support this show: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads.

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Twin Souls in the Universe

For the Sake of a Story

by | Sep 1, 2024 | Season Four

Tall And True Short Reads

For the Sake of a Story

Episode 98 (1 September 2024)

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.

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For the Sake of a Story

Show Notes

Season Four: Episode 98 (1 September 2024)

For the Sake of a Story is a blog post from the Tall And True writers’ website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

Read the post on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/sake-of-a-story

Read How to “Kill Your Darlings” and Survive the Process by Ruthanne Reid: https://thewritepractice.com/kill-your-darlings/

Read My Good Dog and Muse on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/good-dog-muse

Listen to Episode 72 of Tall And True Short Reads: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com/my-good-dog-and-muse/

Post with a photo of Jet sleeping in the home office podcast study: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/introducing-tall-and-true-short-reads

Support the podcast: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads

Buy Robert’s short story and microfiction collections online:

Story Insight

I wrote For the Sake of a Story in December 2018, comparing the lengths I’d “hop” to for third place in the annual sack race at my local dog club and in “killing my darlings” when writing, both for the sake of a good story.

Dear old Harry crossed the “rainbow bridge” in October 2011. He was such a big part of my life for a dozen years that I also wrote a blog post dedicated to him approaching the seventh anniversary of his death in September 2018, My Good Dog and Muse, Episode 72 of Tall And True Short Reads.

In the post, I recount a favourite quote by Agnes Sligh Turnbull, “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” I also observed how Harry had brought so much joy into my life that it seemed wrong to feel sad about him. But as other dog lovers know, that’s not how grief works.

And if you can hear heavy breathing or scratching in the background of this episode, it’s my current dear old dog, my almost 13-year-old black lab, Jet, who brings joy to my life as dear old Harry did — and likes his treats, too!

PS. I held off releasing this episode until the 1st of September, 2024, to mark Jet’s 13th birthday.

There are links to all these posts on Tall And True in the Show Notes — For the Sake of a Story includes a lovely photo of Harry and me in the Balance-a-Frisbee-on-Your-Head-and-Squeeze-a Ball-Between-Your-Legs Race … before he notices the ball! And there’s a link to a post with Jet sleeping on his mat in the home office podcast studio.

I hope you enjoy this tail-wagging episode. You can read all my posts, selected short stories and other writings on TallAndTrue.com. You can also buy my short story and microfiction collections from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores — links are available in the show notes.

The next episode of Tall And True Short Reads will be released shortly. In the meantime, search your feed or the podcast website for earlier episodes from all four seasons. And please follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite podcasting app — doing so helps other listeners find my storytelling.

You can support the podcast financially by making a small one-off or regular donation via the Acast Supporter Page.

Finally, please share this episode with family and friends and spread the word about Tall And True Short Reads and the Tall And True writers’ website.

Podcast Theme and Sound Effects

Royalty-free 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.

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from FreeSound.org:

Production Notes

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity. Podcast episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

Acast Podcast Supporter Page

Support this show: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads.

View All Episodes

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Twin Souls in the Universe

You Have Been Warned

by | Aug 14, 2024 | Season Four

Tall And True Short Reads

You Have Been Warned

Episode 97 (14 August 2024)

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.

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You Have Been Warned

Show Notes

Season Four: Episode 97 (14 August 2024)

You Have Been Warned 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://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/you-have-been-warned

Listen to Episode 59 of Tall And True Short Reads, Once Upon A Time.

Not Quite Write Podcast and Prize website: https://notquitewritepodcast.com/

Support the podcast: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads

Buy Robert’s short story and microfiction collections online:

Story Insight

I wrote You Have Been Warned for the Not Quite Write Prize, run by the Not Quite Write Podcast, in April 2024. Their brief for the competition was:

  • Your story must contain the word DATE. The word must be used in full, with no spaces or interrupting punctuation. However, it may be included within a longer word.
  • Your story must feature the action of “picking a winner”. You don’t need to use this exact wording, and you can feature the action prominently or simply as an aside. The action may occur before the beginning or after it ends as long as it’s referenced somewhere within your story.
  • Your story must break the writing rule “always use said”. You can interpret this anti-prompt in whatever creative way you see fit.

Writers have 60 hours to craft a 500-word story from midday Friday of the Not Quite Write Prize weekend to midnight Sunday. Having brainstormed an idea on Friday, I set out on Saturday morning to write a story titled “What If?”. I wrote a solid opening paragraph and developed the story, ticking off the brief and writing 250-300 words by early Saturday afternoon.

But then I realised the story wouldn’t work. It was too much “raw” autofiction based on a tragic event I experienced in early April. So, I parked that story and started on You Have Been Warned, drawing from an idea I used in another short story about climate change I wrote for the Furious Fiction writing challenge in 2022, Once Upon A Time, Episode 59 of Tall And True Short Reads.

The two stories are different, but reading them side-by-side, you can tell they have the same “father”. Did you hear the required word and action in this story and notice how I broke the “always use said” rule?

I didn’t win or get short or long-listed for the April Not Quite Write Prize. But You Have Been Warned earned a special mention on the Not Quite Write podcast for being an engaging title, which made me proud!

I hope you enjoy listening to this story … and its message. You can read You Have Been Warned and my selected short stories, blog posts and other writing on TallAndTrue.com. You can also buy my short story and microfiction collections from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores — links are available in the show notes.

The next episode of Tall And True Short Reads will be released shortly. In the meantime, please check your feed or the podcast website for earlier episodes from all four seasons. And follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite podcasting app — doing so helps share my storytelling.

You can support the podcast financially by making a small one-off or regular donation via the Acast Supporter Page.

Finally, please share this episode with family and friends and spread the word about Tall And True Short Reads and the Tall And True writers’ website.

Podcast Theme and Sound Effects

Royalty-free 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.

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from FreeSound.org:

Production Notes

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity. Podcast episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

Acast Podcast Supporter Page

Support this show: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads.

View All Episodes

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Twin Souls in the Universe

The Light Above

by | Jul 28, 2024 | Season Four

Tall And True Short Reads

The Light Above

Episode 96 (28 July 2024)

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.

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The Light Above

Show Notes

Season Four: Episode 96 (28 July 2024)

The Light Above 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://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/the-light-above

Read my 2020 blog post about Furious Fiction: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/furiousfiction-writers-centre-competition

About Judd Exley: https://www.juddexley.com/about/

Support the podcast: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads

Buy Robert’s short story collections online:

Story Insight

I wrote The Light Above for the March 2024 Furious Fiction, the Australian Writers’ Centre’s 500-word flash fiction challenge. The brief for March was that each story had to include:

  • A character who revisits something
  • The same colour in its first and last sentence
  • And the words CAMP, FAST and SPARK (longer words retaining the original spelling were permissible).

When I started writing the story, I planned to have my character revisit a place, like their hometown, after a long absence. But I’ve drawn from the deep well of this autofiction for several other stories—I left my hometown, Perth, Western Australia, in 1983, when I was twenty-one, over 40 years ago. Instead, I switched on the “bright white light” of a near-death experience and the “place” became the afterlife … or life, depending on how you read the story.

I didn’t make the Writers’ Centre’s showcase or longlist for March, which left me feeling a “little low”. But fellow Furious Fiction writer Judd Exley, with whom I shared The Light Above, lifted my spirits (pardon the pun) with his enthusiastic feedback:

“Oh man, oh man, did I love that story. That was brilliant, utterly brilliant.”

So, I picked myself up, revisited the story, rephrased a few passages, tweaked a word here and there, and shared it on Tall And True, my forty-second (official and unofficial) Furious Fiction since April 2020.

As I wrote in a 2020 blog post on Tall And True about the challenge, by its name and nature, Furious Fiction doesn’t afford writers time to reflect on their writing. 

Consequently, the story I’ve shared on Tall And True differs from the one I submitted to the Writers’ Centre. But The Light Above respects the criteria and word-count rules, and the judges would still recognise it and, hopefully, agree that it’s a better story for my reflection and edits.

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode. You can read The Light Above and my selected short stories, blog posts and other writing on TallAndTrue.com. You can also buy my short story and microfiction collections from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores — links are available in the show notes.

The next episode of Tall And True Short Reads will be released shortly. In the meantime, please check your feed or the podcast website for earlier episodes from all four seasons. And follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite podcasting app — doing so helps share my storytelling.

You can support the podcast financially by making a small one-off or regular donation via the Acast Supporter Page.

Finally, please share this episode with family and friends and spread the word about Tall And True Short Reads and the Tall And True writers’ website.

Podcast Theme and Sound Effects

Royalty-free 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.

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from FreeSound.org:

Production Notes

Tall And True Short Reads is produced using Audacity. Podcast episodes are recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the traditional lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

Acast Podcast Supporter Page

Support this show: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads.

View All Episodes

Contact Us