# This is a #payitforward post benefiting @l0k1. My posts will be 50/50 until the end of the year for an initiative in giving to active Steemians in need. If you know someone who needs a boost, kindly leave a message in comments. I cannot promise that any single post will have significant earnings, but all liquid STEEM and SBD generated will be donated to the recipient. ----- # The Monster Within ![The Monster Within by Meredith Loughran, art, sketch, drawing](https://merej99.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/img_2324-e1481523518885.jpg)
^{Picture taken in low light}

----- ### A bit of flash fiction to get our campfire stories going! Sitting by the campfire, he felt the heat emanating from the crackling wood. Unwilling to let the blaze ebb into hot embers and then cold darkness, he threw on another log. Catching quickly, he could hear the damp wood hiss then pop from the release of steam within it's damp veins to splinter and suffer the hot licking flames. Not far from where he sat, a lonely owl hooted as the dried, brown leaves rustled with the wind and scampering night critters. The woods were his safe haven; away from obnoxious people and their concrete jungle gyms. He looked like them; walked and talked like them, but he was not like them at all. No... The beast within wanted out, but freedom in the wood was better than a 6x8 cell. Better to stay here in the moonlight, and yet he wondered how long before he was trapped between the two worlds? He glanced with disillusioned eyes to the corpse beside him. She was trouble with a capital T and hell would soon rain down on his head as he heard the sirens and barking dogs in the distance. They were looking for her - not for him. And with a silent grin he knew his next meal was coming up the mountain. #

END ----- ### Progression of the drawing ![](https://merej99.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/img_2320-e1481523535488.jpg) I initially started with a pencil sketch and traced with black marker. Then I started to fill in with a lot of black to have some kind of background. I wasn't too crazy about the streaks from the markers on this piece so I broke out the oil pastels and started to shade with different colors. ![](https://merej99.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/img_2323-e1481523580705.jpg) I was pretty happy with it, but when I turned out the lamp and looked down at the picture I really liked the effect of low light on it. ![](https://merej99.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/img_23241-e1481607121390.jpg) ## What's your opinion? ----- # #payitforward progress * [Toward @klye's moving expenses](https://steemit.com/payitforward/@merej99/it-s-time-for-an-old-fashioned-barn-raising-steemit-style-to-help-a-steemian-in-need-klye) ![](https://merej99.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/1-e1481603809270.jpg) **[Edited to add]** ## Pending Payout * [Another barn raising! A #payitfoward initiative for @dailybitcoinnews](https://steemit.com/payitforward/@merej99/another-barn-raising-a-payitfoward-initiative-for-dailybitcoinnews) * **Hosted by @smysullivan:** [Barn Raising STEEMIT style to help a Steemian in need: @l0k1](https://steemit.com/payitforward/@smysullivan/barn-raising-steemit-style-to-help-a-steemian-in-need-l0k1) ----- # One last thing... I'm omitting my usual signature line for this ***public service announcement***. ### Educate yourself on what Steemit Witnesses do. * Read @pfunk's [User Guide to Steem Witnesses](https://steemit.com/steemit-guides/@pfunk/a-full-steemit-user-s-guide-to-steem-witnesses) * Place your educated votes for Witnesses **[HERE](https://steemit.com/~witnesses)** # Have a Steemit day!

![](https://merej99.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/steemit-e1478805268839.png)

^{#payitforward}