"The first time we felt the pain, we were taken by surprise. Each woke up blind in bed, arms searching, legs stumbling. We don't remember much of the first time. The second time it happened, we were still surprised, having thought the worst was over. We bent over in waves of oh god, not again, and oh god, not again. The body prayed for the first time. It wanted to hit back. By the third time, we felt the pain less and we knew which path to take for fastest relief — just grit the teeth, steady breaths, and hang to whatever is nearest. It would soon be over and we would be back in our beds, covered in sweat."  

  C. J. Lee