Jim unhooked the screen and pulled the hose into the room. "Do you want to try it, Professor?"
"Yes, but first, let's clear things out of the way."
"Hey!" I hollered. "You're not going to turn that hose on in here are you?"
The professor chuckled. "Hope you don't mind too much, but we hope it'll get you down."
"Well, I sure don't see...."
"Dad, the professor and I had the same idea. Maybe I can explain it ... you see, apparently anything you come in contact with takes on a bit of your 'charge.' In the case of the coffee, the small drops became charged and went up. I imagine that the plates and cups picked up a small charge too, while you held them, but it wasn't enough to make them rise. Is that about right, Professor?"
"It seems that way, Jim. Anyway, it's worth a try." The professor looked up at me, "Mr. Wilson, I'm afraid you aren't going to care much for this. As soon as we clear the room a bit I'm going to turn the hose on you."
My mouth dropped open. "Turn the ho...?"
"Yes.... You see, if whatever you touch picks up a bit of the charge, then about the quickest way to 'discharge' you would be to touch you with a large volume of something. Water sounds logical, doesn't it?"
"Well, I suppose so," I mumbled. "But, there must be something ... some other way...."