And Then the Town Took Off

The narrative follows Don Cort, a man stranded when his Midwestern town unexpectedly lifts two miles above Earth and declares secession. Officials and scientists puzzle over the gaping pit left behind while townspeople, both pragmatic and eccentric, adapt to life aloft and credit a local crackpot professor who proves unable to return them to the ground. As radio reports and odd incidents accumulate, Cort faces the practical task of anchoring the floating community or accepting permanent exile among its peculiar inhabitants. The story blends comic satire of small-town character and bureaucratic confusion with speculative concerns about technology and human adaptability.