That's great, it starts with an earthquake

5:23 am. The sky is turning light in the east. The birds have already begun their morning chatter on the wires. Traffic noises are gradually increasing beneath my window. I'm only remotely aware of these things as I slowly surface from a pleasant dream.

5:24 am. The bed begins to thump against the wall as the building suddenly groans and creaks. I open my eyes wide and lay there gripping my pillow as all my furniture rocks gently and the things on my shelves start to rattle. No sooner am I perfectly aware of what's going on than it's already over, my heart the only thing left thumping, my nerves the last thing left rattled.

There's nothing quite like a jolt of adrenaline to start the day. It's just too bad it didn't happen about an hour later so I could have slept a little longer.