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Four streets uptown from the sushi place, Alice entered the Kansas City Public Library. It was an imposing building carved out of stone. She climbed a set of wide, shallow steps into a grand hallway. The period ceilings rose high, supported by towering white pillars. A labyrinth of halls and stacks branched off across two main floors. The place had definitely changed since she was a young girl, visiting with school. Yet the intoxicating aroma of old wood and paper was just the same. Alice still experienced the same sense of magic as she strolled between shelves. Having consulted the library's online reference system, she found the books she wanted. With her arms weighed down with texts, she wandered over to a walnut study table in a large reading hall. She organized the books in a pile
