Gaia was holding Julia’s hand while speaking. She asked about the island in the sky but the man with the large goggles on his forehead shook his head.
No, I have never heard a floating island and the cold, I don’t think anybody could live in that cold. We fly lower than the highest clouds and still it is freezing cold up there. And how could the island float and not fall on earth? If you are looking for an island that disappeared, I think you’d rather be looking underwater than in the air, he said. But if you like it, I will be pleased to take you both for a ride in my airship.
He shook Julia’s hand and gave a caress on Gaia’s head, then left them in front of his house.
Well, first of all we need to understand if there is a way to make an island fly, then I will look on the maps and ask in the lab. Let me take you back home and go to the Archilab, we’ll talk this evening with Mark, said Julia.
During the day Gaia would draw islands in the sky and ladders taking people to upside down buildings. The islands in the air were tied to airships and floating balloons, long ropes connecting them to the land. When Julia came home that evening, they went to meet Mark at his lab before dinner.
Do you have anything for me, he asked.
Gaia showed Mark the drawings. This is what the island looks like, she said.
Are you sure?
We are not, said Julia. An airship pilot told us there are no floating islands in the sky and invited us on a flight with him. I found no trace of a missing island on the maps we work on, in the lab.
I see, maybe you are using the wrong maps. I suggest you look for the oldest maps you can find and compare them to more recent ones. I also suggest you take advantage of the offer of a flight, I am sure you will find the experience instructive.
That night, dreams of underwater explorations mingled with dreams of flying. The floating islands seemed almost within reach.
helobiae 
Great story, kind of reminds me the Gulliver story about flying island.