Dana Cropley
Bio
A lover of reading, writing, acting, and oxford commas from Adelaide, South Australia.
Instagram: @dana_cropley
Stories (5)
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Monkey
Harper awoke slowly, her eyelids fluttering in the rushing wind. Her tangled hair streamed behind her underneath her battered helmet. Her sweating cheek squelched as she pulled it off the rough leather beneath her. She was attached to Sal’s back in a makeshift harness fashioned out of an old rucksack and some leather belts. At only six years old she was still small enough for Sal to carry while they rode. Harper tapped a couple of fingers on Sal’s back to let him know that she was awake. He raised one rough hand and gave her a thumbs up. Smiling to herself, Harper stretched her back and looked over at the convoy around her. There were seven of them in total. She didn’t know how many there had been before the invasion, Sal didn’t like to talk about before.
By Dana Cropley5 years ago in Fiction
My Brother: The Storyteller
It is hard for me to look back on a childhood filled to the brim with stories and imagination and pinpoint just one favourite bedtime story. Many warm nights were spent cuddled up in bed, with Mum reading me and my brothers a range of fantastical stories. Or Dad regaling to me (for the hundredth time) the adventures of a young Dana and her faithful companion, Smokey the Horse, whose name he conveniently misremembered as Stinky every single night. My home was one that truly fostered the sense of wonder and imagination that comes hand in hand with the bedtime story. There is, however, one character that stands out to me when I reflect on the storytelling of my childhood, whether it be the made-up games, the terrible self-authored and directed plays our parents were forced to watch, or the intricate and recurring bedtime stories. My older brother, Matthew.
By Dana Cropley5 years ago in Families
A Kindred Spirit
February 19th 2017 I am just going to preface this page by saying on the record that I do not believe in ghosts. Having said that, I am pretty sure I saw a ghost today. It’s only been two days since I’ve moved in here. It was a quick moving process, given the drama with Alex. The house is old and run down but has good bones. I needed somewhere quick and far away. Honestly, I could have done worse. Once I spruce the house up a bit, I actually think I could be happy here. Just me and Milly and some space to breathe. At least that’s what I thought before tonight, now I’m not sure that I haven’t traded in one shitty situation for another.
By Dana Cropley5 years ago in Horror
Escapism for Bibliophiles
If you find yourself single this Valentine’s Day, cursing the world or yourself or your ex, wishing that you had someone to spoil you and dote on you, you are not alone. So many of us find it difficult to be single on Valentine’s Day and see the day as simply a reminder that we do not find ourselves in happy or fulfilling romantic relationships. But it is important to remember that there are so many other types of fulfilling relationships in our lives.
By Dana Cropley5 years ago in Geeks
Love in the Time of Social Media
It is easy in this day and age to get caught up in the idealised version of one’s self that we are encouraged through social media (and media in general) to strive towards. If you have not yet reached this ideal level of superficial enlightenment - as I firmly believe very few of us have or ever will - it can be difficult to scroll through social media and see the carefully curated photos of your peers and idols alike. From your perspective they are living the life you wish you had, while you are sitting at home, living and loving vicariously through the characters in your favourite TV show. Never is this self-comparison more potent or more insufferable than on Valentine’s Day. To open your phone and scroll through hundreds of pictures of blissfully happy couples and read cheesy declaration of love after cheesy declaration of love can really be disheartening if you feel that you are missing that love from your life.
By Dana Cropley5 years ago in Beat
