Bzzz! 5:15am. There goes the alarm. Still asleep I shut the obnoxious thing up. Climbing out of bed I gingerly place my weight on the two tiny things on the floor I call feet. At the same time I am praying that my knees don’t collapse under me. Prayers answered, I turn on the blinding light. That’s when it begins. The simple motion of turning a switch turns on the pain that will haunt me for eternity. I can never find the right words to describe the agony. Some say it feels like having all your fingers bent back. However, being double jointed, this description never worked for me. My fingers bend backwards with ease. Well at least they used to. Now it hurts just to curl them forward

The first wave having past, I am fully awakened. If anything good can come of this misery, it would be that the pain wakes me up better than any alarm clock ever could. Slowly, I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower. The hot water loosens my joints, temporarily relieving any remaining aches.

After my shower, I dress for school never giving a thought to my hands. Until…I put on my watch, and act which always reminds me of the rings I used to wear. Rings which no longer fit on my swollen fingers.

Ring. 7:45am. One last prayer before school starts. "Please, let today be a day of minimal writing." This one goes unanswered. First period English: Compare a character in Hamlet to on in The Lion King. Second period Social Studies: Writing assignment due at the end of the period. Let’s not forget the math test fourth period.

After only half a day my hands hurt so badly that I am actually considering cutting them off to relieve the pain. All this and I still have band class left to go.

I used to love band and I guess I still do. Deep down, however, I loathe it. My fingers used to glide over the keys of my clarinet with ease. Now I stop playing every five minutes in order to massage my aching hands.

Ring. 2:15pm. Nine hours from the start of my day and it’s not nearly over yet. Walking to my car, I begin to reflect on taking the bus. As much as I hated the stupid thing, it always gave my hands a chance to heal, at least temporarily. Driving home I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on my tender joints. This can make steering difficult, so I bear the pain and drive carefully.

Click. 11:35pm. After watching the news, I turn the TV off and get ready for bed. The question is how long will the pain keep me from sleep. "To sleep – perchance to dream; aye there’s the rub!" – as Hamlet would say. After about an hour I doze off. I dream of one pain-free day, just one. That’s not too much to ask for is it?

Bzzz! 5:15am. Here we go again.