A Monster Calls

by Patrick Ness

The justifications of men who kill should always be heard with skepticism,

Belief is half of all healing. Belief in the cure, belief in the future that awaits.

And if no one sees you, the monster said, picking up its pace, too, are you really there at all?

You were merely wishing for the end of pain, the monster said. Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.

Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.