Author's Note: Hey tharr...I'd like to give you all some excuse about what happened to me writing this story, but I'm gonna skip that. What matters is that I'm back and my conscious is making me finish this story. I got lucky and found this chapter was already written but I had to type it up still. And I'll set straight to work on the next-I swear it! Also, I recommend re-reading the first 3 chapters before this one. Just to rekindle your memory, you know.

Lavi and the Beanstalk

Ch. 4 "Up on the Flipside"

Lavi, having been completly dumbstruck by the sight before him, fell onto the cloudy ground. He clenched at his chest while his lungs heaved. As his lungs re-inflated with air, Lavi was coughing crudely. he was so taken in by the scenery that he forgot to breath at all.

After regaining his composure, Lavi stood up and re-absorbed his surroundings. The very first thing he noticed was that everything was huge-seriously huge. In comparison he was like an ant, or a caterpillar, or some other kind of bug. Just like a bug, Lavi had crawled out of the dirt out of the dirt and wound up in some garden. Blades of grass, at least what Lavi assumed were, towered and bent over him like the great of his town's valley would.

What amazed Lavi the most was that the grass was white. White just like the dense clouds that made up the ground. He walked over and felt one of the grass blades. Its texture felt just like a normal grass blade; a rough and partially sticky underside and smooth on the top side.

Aside from its size, which he assumed was normal, there was no real reason for the grass to be white. So why was it? Lavi was staring to think that it was normal for this place too.

With his keen eye, Lavi noticed that there wasn't much grass where he stood. Comparitively speaking, he felt like he was stranded in the middle of a bleached-out forest. Howevere, Lavi deduced that he must be close to the end f this monstrous patch of grass. Or at least a clearing of sorts. So he took up his make-shift climbing gear and dragged it to where the grass was thinest.

Sure enough, the grass had ending quickly and unveiling another incredible sight to Lavi. Several hundred feet in front og him was a sprawling mansion that looked to be cut out of marble. The mansion's shear size would put any of Europe's grand caastles to shame. Then again, now that he was in a land of apparent giants, Lavi figured that any of the castles here would be truly monsterous.

Upon exiting the bleached grass, Lavi dropped his climbing gear where he exited. This was he could find the tunnel he dug later on. Next he walked towards the mansion, keep the satchel with him. There was a back door that should've lead to the kitchen, but the single step that laid out in front was easily three times his height. If Lavi was getting inside then he'd need o find anouther way.

He quickly threw out the option of climbing through the windows. Any of the stairs would be impossible without another person to help him, or a ladder to climb up. While he contemplated on growing another of Komui's mutant beanstalks, Lavi stepped away from the back door and examined the rest of the outside walls.

There was no reason for entering the house of a giant. Hell, he heard all of the children's stories of giants turning regular people into not-so-delicious baked goods. But he couldn't help it. His curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Just then Lavi's rare moment of patience had paid off. He had found his alternate opening in the form of a mouse hole. It was located along the backside of the mansion. The exuberant young red head took off like a rocket. Leaving behind his common sense and reasoning.

The thought of an over-sized rodent possibly biting his head off had never accured to him. Fortunately for Lavi, there was no such thing waiting for him on the otherside of the hole. Instead, Lavi found himself surrounded by the wood works of the mansion.

All of the innerwalls were lined with wooden blocks that were pushed together likes steps for someone to climb. There were even forks, knifes, needles, and even the odd strand of rope stuck into the walls. Lavi could see more mouse holes up in the walls above him. It was like someone out all of this together just to traverse the giant loyout of the mansion. No way a mouse did all of this. Lavi knew that this sort of sophistication came from the mind of a human. A very brilliant human. Which meant that more than just giants were living in this place.

Growing even curiouser, Lavi leapt onto the nearest wooden block and began to climb. Lavi was heading towards the nearest mouse hole. It was several yards ahead ofmhim and only appeared to be a beam of light. After he climbed the first block he followed down a path that had him hugging one of the innerwalls.

The innerwalls looked like your basic wood lined walls. Only massive. Support beams ahad been turned into bridges. And rope ladders hung from nails that stuck out. Lavi was more than impressed by the ingenuity that currently surrounded him. No one wouldn't have done this unless it was necessary. So there were definitly normal sized humans living here. LAll Lavi had to do was find them.

When Lavi came to the next over-sized mouse hole, he quickly passed through it. Finding himself swimming, firguratively and not literally, in a sea of lenolium tiles. Common sense dictates that those were the tiles of a very fancy kitchen floor.

"Holy hell..."

And boy, what a fancy kitchen it was.

The kitchen and its appliances were technologically advanced, the oven and stove were wood-lit and there was even an open fire pit built deep into the wall to boil massive quantities of water, but they were built ornately and had several beautiful carvings mounted onto them.

The kitched also appeared to have several sinks, ovens, stove tops, and numerous doors that could've lead to pantries and meat lockers. This kitchen really had everything.

"Wait a minute," Lavi rushed out into the kitchen. After he looked around the youth noticed that there was a door that had the same ornate carvings that the garden's back door had. Lavi quickly deduced that the door connected the two places.

"So," Lavi folded his arms. Speaking his thoughts aloud, "The outside mouse hole lead me inside. And this one leads me into the litchen." Lavi turned his head back to the mouse hole as the wheels in his head turned faster. "Each hole leads to the insides of the house. That means that even if I'm tiny like this, then I can still get around this mansion. But still, what about the wood works? I know the why but not the who. Who was here that needed to do all of this?"

Lavi drew in a long breath. He pushed that thought aside for now and focused on another: what else is in this place? With his trademark crooked grin in place, Lavi spead off for the mouse hole and began to climb again.

After scaling several more wooden blocks, Lavi came across a scalfoding of sorts. It intrigued Lavi because this one looked to be made quite profressionally. The red head jumped onto it and found yet another mouse hole. However this one was blocked by a piece of wood. With little effort Lavi pushed the bloackage aside and found it to be a round, hinged door.

Lavi stepped across the threshold and found himself staring down at the mansion's grand foyer. After looking around he realized that he was halfway up the staircase. From where he stood, Lavi got an excellent view of everything in the room.

"What's up with this place And the stairs?!" Lavi demanded. To no one in paricular. "I mean, if I was a giant too, then okay. But seriously! This place is friggin' nuts! And what's this thing made of? Glass? The hell?!"

Lavi stopmed his boots down onto the massive, single step he stood on. It sure did look like it was made of glass. Only it was opaque, not clear. And there was a distinct blue hue instead of gray. The floor of the foyer looked to be made of the same material. What kind of a person lives in a place like this? Who ever it was must've been pretty full of themselves, Lavi figured.

He then zipped back through the round door. Closed it. And began to climb higher up into the wood works.

Now Lavi was starting to really have fun in this place. He found that a fork had it prongs jabbed into a wall. Lavi had then used the body of the fork as a trampoline and propelled himself up into the air. He was also platform hopping. He even found himself swinging from thread and yard vines like a jungle man.

Lavi was having the time of his life. He was laughing whole-heartedly as he ascended to new levels within the wood works. This was exactly the kind of adventure he always wanted.

Being stranded in an ultimately strange but still slightly familiar place. Scaling the enemy's stronghold without their knowing. Under constant threat of being captured. Which was only fun because Lavi hadn't meet the giant yet. Now all that was left was to find the people who had devised this traveling system. Oh. And to find the princess and the secret treasure. There's always princesses and treasures.

Lavi had been to busy having the time of his life to stop and examine any of the rooms beyond the mouse holes. Lost in his dream world-the only thing that woke him up was a soft sound.

It was like a whisper. Far away and quiet. Lavi stood still and listened intently. The sound was melodic. Was that a piano he heard? No, not just a piano. Singing. Yeah, he also heard singing.

His interest was peaked. He took off in the direction of the music.

Just one question: who was singing?

P.S. Since all of you are so deserving, I'm giving you readers more than just a cookie for staying with me. Here's the title for the next chapter; THE SILVER MUSICIAN!