I'm a control freak and think a short, fast labour would scare the hell out of me. Is it difficult to stay present in a short, fast labour?
I wouldn't say it is hard to stay present, everything is so intense you can't really escape, everything is pulling you kicking and screaming into reality! More accurately I would say it is hard to stay focused on whatever techniques you are using to deal with the contractions. From what I read normally you get into a rhythm, then as the contractions step up you step up and match them, but when it is really fast you don't really have that ability to 'build up' your response and you kind of get thrown in at the deep end.

Recently I was talking to the midwife/educator at my hospital and when I said about my first labour she looked at me with pity! She said she thought 2 hours wasn't the easy way to do it. I kind of wondered that but I had never had any one else say it.