Tall And True Short Reads

Season Three: Episode 77 (8 August 2023)

My Dreams 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-dreams

Podcast website: https://www.tallandtrueshortreads.com

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

Buy Robert’s short story collections online:

• 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

Story Insight

I wrote My Dreams for the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Furious Fiction writing challenge in June 2023. The brief for the 500-word short story was:

• It had to begin in the MIDDLE of something
• And include the words LOCKET, POCKET, ROCKET and SOCKET (or longer variations retaining the original spelling).

I set my story in the middle of a dream. And although I’ve never dreamed of a rocket launch, I drew on some of my dreams for the story. For instance, at school in my pyjamas, on a bus in the buff, soaring like an eagle, playing guitar like a legend, forgetting my lines on-stage, and perhaps, once or twice, dreaming of an old girlfriend.

However, as with all my fiction, while I draw on elements of autofiction and a true sentence here and there, most of it is pure imagination. As I mentioned, I’ve never launched a rocket or made a TEDx speech. And my wife is still alive.

But I have dreamed of being visited by departed relatives and even a dear old dog. That doggy dream felt so real I could feel his coarse hair on my fingers when I reached down to pat him. And I found it comforting to touch and see him again.

I hope you enjoyed listening to My Dreams. You can read this and all my short stories and all my short stories, blog posts and other writing at TallAndTrue.com. You can also buy my short story 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, check your feed or the podcast website for earlier episodes from Seasons One, Two and Three.

And follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite app — doing so helps me share my storytelling.

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

And finally, please tell your family and friends 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:

• Snoring: https://freesound.org/people/170134/sounds/407705/
• Rocket: https://freesound.org/people/LimitSnap_Creations/sounds/318688/
• Kids laughing: https://freesound.org/people/Ben%20Keaton/sounds/430815/
• Bus: https://freesound.org/people/13FPanska_Sychra_Petr/sounds/379373/
• Eagle: https://freesound.org/people/kaydinhamby/sounds/381200/
• Electric Guitar: https://freesound.org/people/alexnekita/sounds/333247/
• Applause: https://freesound.org/people/Breviceps/sounds/462362/
• Waves: https://freesound.org/people/floating%20tree/sounds/253607/
• Underwater: https://freesound.org/people/felix.blume/sounds/209459/
• Medical Beeps: https://freesound.org/people/iluminati_2705/sounds/536706/

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.