"Have your notebooks ready. I'll give out a little test at the end of this course trip and ask what I'm talking about," Ms. Bühner said. Some students groaned. "After all, we're here to learn," she reminded us. "So who can tell me the names of these four presidents?"
We were standing at one of the lookouts in the Black Hills, which had an unobstructed view of the four carved heads against a backdrop of blue sky. From here they looked smaller than I would have thought, but in reality they must be huge. I wondered how the sculptors could create the faces so realistically without ever looking at the whole artwork as they worked. Tourists from all over the world streamed past us all around us, taking non-stop pictures with their cameras and cell phones. I didn't think these four heads would attract so many people. Even the parking lot was huge and of course it cost a lot of admission.
"President George Washington is on the far left, then Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln," Hannes prayed.
I scribbled the names on my pad. Somehow I had heard them all before, but I couldn't place them exactly.
Ms. Bühner instructed us to walk independently along the viewing path specially created for tourists and to read through the information boards that had been set up.
I kept to the shady forest path near Hannes, who could explain everything to me better than these boards.
"Oh, Lincoln was the one who abolished slavery and started a civil war, right?" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering.
Hannes nodded. "However, the Civil War was more about northern control over secessionist southern states and economic power."
"As always in wars..."
"I agree."
"How can you remember all that?"
Hannes smiled shyly. “I'm just interested in it, and I read a lot. Historical novels and stuff." He looked almost embarrassed.
"Cool," I said. Suddenly I felt uncomfortable with the way Hannes was looking at me, and I looked around for Sarah.
The same procedure was later repeated at the Crazy Horse Memorial, which was only a few minutes' bus ride from the President's Heads. Here an artist had begun carving a work out of the rock depicting the famous Indian chief 'Crazy Horse' on horseback. Unfortunately it wasn't over yet and you only saw the prominent profile of a face above the rock massif. I knew about Crazy Horse from my brother Max, so Ms. Bühner's information was nothing new to me.
"Crazy Horse was one of the last great Sioux chiefs, along with Sitting Bull, who led his tribe against the white man," she said as we sweated in the unrelenting midday sun.
"He was instrumental in the final Indian victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, which completely crushed General Custer's army. But in the end he too had to surrender and move to a reservation with his tribe. He was later murdered by the whites."
"Are you hiding from anyone?" Sarah asked as we toured the museum attached to the memorial. I stood behind the teepee there, pretending to be engrossed in the inscription on a display case.

I felt caught. "Uh... just from Hannes," I whispered to her after making sure he wasn't around.
"Did he hurt you?"
I played with my ponytail. "No. He's just... nice to me." I made a face.
She raised her brows. "Oh how terrible!"
"Too nice," I explained. "I don't want to give him the wrong impression. You know."
Sarah gave me a look I didn't like. "Maybe you should give him a chance."
"What?" I crossed my arms over my chest.
We continued to walk slowly along the exhibits, not really paying attention to the embroidered moccasins and arrowheads.
"He's not bad looking, intelligent and always willing to help. You could do worse."
"Want to set me up?" I asked, hands on hips.
Sarah smiled. "I just want you to consider the possibility. You're always so closed. No offense meant," she quickly added after seeing the look on my face.
I sighed. "I know but ..."
We were interrupted when Ms. Bühner caught up to us from behind and told us to slowly make our way to the bus.
Before we left the museum, I discovered a book about the customs and history of the Lakota in the museum shop. I liked it because it contained a lot of pictures and even some vocabulary in their language. I bought it as a souvenir for Max. I'm sure he would devour it.

"Watch your guyss head." Watch your heads.
Sarah and I stifled a giggle. Apparently that was our cave guide's favorite line, which she kept shouting to us as she led us through the low, narrow passages. She was about our age and had told us that she worked here during the school holidays to earn some money. Again, I could understand that.
The temperature in the cave seemed very comfortable to me at first, because although it had become overcast in the afternoon and the first distant thunder had been heard when we entered the cave, it was still this sweltering heat outside. But now I'm getting a little chilly in here. It was about fifteen degrees all year round, day and night, the guide had explained to us. I put on my thin jacket. Still, goosebumps formed on my legs.
We stopped in a slightly larger natural cave room. It smelled earthy and damp. The brown stone of the ceiling and walls gleamed in the glow of the artificial lights, and a railing demarcated the path from a small trickle of standing water that didn't seem very deep.
"Behind me," the guide said, and I had to concentrate to understand her English, "is what we call the chapel because weddings are sometimes held here."
She pointed to the slightly raised circular platform, a sort of peninsula of rock, which abutted the cave wall at the back and was surrounded by a narrow moat of dark water at the front.
I wondered what could be so romantic about a wedding ceremony in a dank and cold cave. But then she switched on her flashlight and shone it on the vaulted ceiling just above the island, and suddenly the whole room was filled with a twinkle and glitter of millions of crystals.
"Ohhh," Sarah said admiringly.
Hannes came to my side from behind and I gave him a curt nod.
The guide continued talking, something about the crystals on the cave ceiling. I no longer understood everything. Hanne's presence distracted me. Why did he always have to run after me like a lost puppy? Just because I was kind to him once? Sure, I liked him, but not in _that_ way. And that would never change.
When Sarah quietly walked away from us—not without a conspiratorial wink first—I could have snapped her to the moon.
"Hey," Hannes said quietly.
"Hey," I replied, hearing how dismissive that sounded.
Maybe he didn't notice, but at least he wasn't deterred.
"I had a very nice day today."
"Yes," I said, looking at the unusual rock formation on the wall next to me with apparent interest.
“A few of us are going to check out Rapid City tonight. If you feel like it... We'll go eat something too."
"Um," I frantically searched for an excuse but couldn't find one. "I'll think about it." Maybe I'd just feign tiredness and then go do something alone with Sarah.
Then I realized how stupid that was. Why should I be deterred from going out with the others just because Hannes might want something from me? He hadn't done anything to me and it wasn't fair to keep him at a distance right away. So I forced myself to turn back to him and smile. "Why not."
His expression brightened. He looked almost attractive in the gloom of the cave lights, which cast half his face in shadow and made his eyes darker than usual.
"Oh, it goes on," he said.
I noticed with a start that the others were already disappearing around the corner of the next corridor. I didn't want to be left alone with Hannes.
"Go ahead, I'll be right behind you," I murmured, quickly bending down to pretend to tie my left shoe.
Hannes hesitated, but then he seemed to understand. He pulled away without another word and I bit my lip guiltily. Did he think now that I wanted to get rid of him? Isn't that what I really wanted? Had I shut myself up again, as Sarah had accused me of?
I sighed and slowly untied and retied my shoelace before getting up to follow the others. I would have to apologize to him.
Just before I entered the cave passage where Hannes and the others had disappeared, a glint on the wall behind the rocky island caught my attention. I jumped over the moat surrounding the island to get a closer look at one of these crystals.
I looked at the spot in the stone wall that had drawn me. She was covered in little pimples that shimmered with every color of the rainbow. I pulled out my phone to take a picture of it.
"Marie?" I heard Sarah's voice echo out of the hallway.
"Be right there," I called back. I reached out to touch the crystals. They felt cold and smooth, but not wet at all.
Suddenly the stone heated up under my fingers. My eyes widened and I wanted to withdraw my hand, but it all happened so quickly. My fingertips tingled as if I had touched a live wire. Then an electric shock went through my whole body. The phone slipped from my hand. All I could feel was the ground shaking beneath my feet before darkness fell around me.