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Welcome to A Bedtime Story. I'm Matthew Mitchell, and tonight's story is titled The Heavy Lifting, Part 3 of this week's series: The Case of the Vanishing Gravity.

The Sky-Piercer Tower was the tallest structure in Orbit City, a needle of glass and steel that pierced the very edge of the atmosphere. At the very top was a revolving ballroom where the elite gathered to look down on everyone else. Tonight, the ballroom was decorated with glowing lanterns and silk ribbons that drifted in the air, a preview of the weightless evening Sterling had promised. The view was breathtaking, but Cletus couldn't appreciate it while he was worried about the literal weight of the world.

Cletus, Beatrice, and a very nervous Sterling stood in the service elevator. Beatrice was now holding onto a heavy metal toolbox she had found in the fountain room, as Cletus's paperweights were starting to lose the battle against the increasing pull of the tower's receiver. She looked like she was ready to punch the first person who made a joke about her being light on her feet.

"When we get out there," Cletus instructed, checking his watch, "Sterling, you need to find the receiver. It will be a large, metallic dish or perhaps a decorative centerpiece. We need to reroute the signal back into the city's power grid instead of the people. We need to turn that gravity into electricity for the streetlights."

"But the guests!" Sterling cried. "They want to float! They paid thousands of credits for the experience! They'll demand their money back!"

"They can buy a trampoline," Cletus snapped. "Beatrice, try not to hit anyone with that toolbox. You are currently a blunt force object if you lose your grip. We need to move fast."

The elevator doors opened to the sound of soft music and the clinking of expensive glasses. The ballroom was packed with people in sparkling outfits, all waiting for the big moment when they would drift into the air. In the center of the room was a massive chandelier made of blue crystals. Cletus realized that the crystals weren't glass; they were the same material as the gravity-guzzlers, just on a much larger scale. It was a giant magnet for the city's weight.

"There it is," Cletus pointed. "The chandelier is the antenna. Sterling, get to work on that tablet."

They moved through the crowd. Cletus did his best to look like he belonged, which was difficult considering he was accompanied by a floating woman with a toolbox and a boy in oversized goggles who was shivering. He intercepted a waiter and took a glass of sparkling water, purely for the sake of the disguise.

As they reached the base of the chandelier, a tall man in a velvet suit stepped into their path. This was Marcus Vane, the owner of the tower and the man who had hired Sterling to "innovate" the party. He did not look happy to see a private investigator at his exclusive event.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Vance?" Marcus asked, his voice smooth and cold. "I don't recall inviting a man who smells like a basement and a woman who is currently defying the laws of physics. This is a private party for those who appreciate the finer things in life, not a refuge for the vertically challenged."

"Your party favor is a public safety hazard, Marcus," Cletus said, not backing down. "You are stealing the physical weight of the citizens to entertain your friends. That is a felony in at least three jurisdictions, including this one. You're not just hosting a party; you're committing a massive energy heist."

Marcus laughed, a sound that was as sharp as the glass around them. "It is progress. It is innovation. People have always wanted to fly. I am simply giving them what they desire. Besides, who is going to stop me? The police are currently stuck on the ground because their patrol cars are too heavy to fly. I've diverted the weight of the city into their engines."

At that moment, the chandelier began to glow with an intense, blinding blue light. The transfer had begun. Beatrice felt a sudden, violent tug from the ceiling. The toolbox slipped from her hands and crashed into a dessert table. She shot upward like a cork from a bottle, heading straight for the crystal chandelier.

"Beatrice!" Cletus shouted. He lunged forward, grabbing her ankle just as she passed him. The force of her ascent nearly pulled him off his feet. He was now dangling from her leg as she drifted toward the ceiling, both of them rising above the heads of the shocked guests.

"Sterling, do it now!" Cletus yelled, his face turning red from the strain. "Reverse the flow or we're both going to be part of the lighting fixtures!"

Sterling fumbled with his tablet, his fingers dancing across the screen. "I am trying! I have to bypass the security encryption! Marcus changed the settings! It is asking for a password!"

"Try 'Gravity'!" Beatrice screamed from above, clutching a crystal branch of the chandelier to stop her upward momentum.

Sterling typed frantically. "No! That's not it! Incorrect password attempt one of three!"

"Try 'Vane'!" Cletus suggested, feeling his grip on her ankle slipping. "He's arrogant enough to use his own name!"

Sterling typed again. "Yes! Access granted! I am reversing the polarity of the intake valves! I am sending the energy to the emergency batteries in the basement!"

The blue light shifted to a deep, warm orange. The humming sound that had been vibrating in Cletus's teeth suddenly stopped, replaced by a low, melodic drone. For a heart-stopping second, everyone in the room felt a moment of total silence. Then, the weight returned.

It didn't happen all at once. It was a slow, steady increase, like sinking into a soft mattress. Beatrice and Cletus descended gracefully, landing on their feet next to Sterling. All across the city, fifty people who had been floating in their kitchens or offices felt their feet touch the ground. The police cars regained their balance, and the water in the fountain fell back into its basin with a massive splash.

The guests in the ballroom, who had been expecting to float, instead felt a little more solid than usual. They looked around, confused, as the blue crystals in the chandelier dimmed and went dark.

Marcus Vane looked at his ruined party and then at Cletus. "You have no idea the enemies you have made tonight, Vance. This was supposed to be the event of the century."

Cletus brushed the dust off his coat and straightened his tie. "I have a long list of enemies, Marcus. You can take a number and wait in line behind the guy who tried to turn the moon into a giant disco ball last year. But I would suggest you start looking for a good lawyer. I have a feeling the city is going to have a lot of questions about their missing gravity, and Sterling here is very chatty when he's nervous."

Beatrice looked down at her feet, a wide smile spreading across her face. She stomped on the carpet just to hear the solid thud. "I'm heavy," she whispered. "I've never been so happy to be heavy in my entire life. I'm going to go home and eat a very large steak just to celebrate the existence of mass."

Cletus walked her to the elevator, leaving Sterling to explain things to the authorities who were already arriving. As they descended, Cletus felt the familiar pull of the earth, a comforting, constant weight that reminded him he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

"I suppose I owe you a fee," Beatrice said as they reached the lobby. "And perhaps a new pair of shoes."

"Buy me a coffee," Cletus replied. "A very large, very heavy coffee. And maybe a new clock for my office. The one I have is starting to tick sideways, and after today, I think I've had enough of things not working the way they should."

They stepped out into the night, the lights of Orbit City twinkling above them, every single person firmly planted on the ground, exactly where they belonged.