It was a sunny afternoon, and a group of kids sat under a big banyan tree in their school playground, munching on their tiffins. Suddenly, they heard a loud whooo-hoo from above. Everyone looked up. There, perched on a sturdy branch, was a wise old owl named Hooty.

"Arre, Hooty bhai! Aap yahaan kaise?" asked Raj, the class clown, with his mouth full of aloo paratha.

Hooty adjusted his round spectacles and gave a slow, wise smile. "Main aap sabko ek challenge dene aaya hoon. Math ka challenge!"

All the kids exchanged confused glances. “Math? But math toh boring hota hai!” complained Priya, crossing her arms.

Hooty flapped his wings, causing a flurry of leaves to fall. “Boring? Nahi! Agar aapko sahi se seekhna ho, toh math bilkul mazedaar ho sakta hai. Main aapko kuch puzzles dunga, aur jo solve kar sake, woh hi sabse smart hoga!”

“Puzzle? Haan, yeh sunke lagta hai maza aayega,” said Sameer, always up for a challenge.

Hooty cleared his throat dramatically. “Toh pehla puzzle ye hai! Dhyaan se suno, aur sab milke jawab dena!”

He leaned forward. "Main aapko ek number de raha hoon. Us number ko 5 se multiply karo, phir 3 se divide karo, phir 10 mein se subtract karo, aur last mein 4 se divide karo. Ab batao, jawab kya hoga?"

The kids stared at each other, unsure of where to start. Raj scratched his head. “Yaar, kaafi complicated lag raha hai na?”

"Yeh simple hai, samajhna hai bas!" said Hooty, seeing their confusion. "Dheere-dheere karna, jaise tumhare school ka homework ho.”

Priya took out her notebook and started writing. “Toh sabse pehle, 5 se multiply karenge. Agar humein number 6 diya gaya ho toh, 6 × 5 = 30,” she said, writing down the steps.

"Ab 3 se divide karna hai!" added Sameer. “30 ÷ 3 = 10!”

"Great! Ab 10 mein se 10 subtract karo!” Priya grinned.

“10 - 10 = 0,” Sameer said proudly.

“And last mein, 4 se divide karo!” Raj called out, excited now. "0 ÷ 4 = 0! So, the answer is 0!"

The kids jumped up in excitement, looking at Hooty. “We did it! It was fun, Hooty bhai!” Sameer shouted, high-fiving Priya.

Hooty hooted happily. “Bahut accha! Tum sab ne achhe se solve kiya. Ab tumhare dimag thoda sharp ho gaya hai, kyunki math sirf numbers ki baat nahi hoti, dimaag ka use bhi hota hai!"

“Yeh toh bahut cool tha, Hooty bhai!” said Raj. “Aapke saath aur puzzles karna hai!”

Hooty smiled. "Aaj ka doosra puzzle thoda tricky hoga. Ready ho?"

The kids nodded eagerly.

Hooty began, “Ek admi ke paas 10 aam hain. Agar usne 3 aam khaye, toh uske paas kitne aam bache?”

“Arre, yeh toh bilkul simple hai,” said Raj. “10 mein se 3 minus karna hai! Toh 10 - 3 = 7! Simple!”

“Bilkul sahi!” Hooty applauded him. “Yeh tha ek simple puzzle. Ab, aapko samajh aa gaya hai ki math har jagah hoti hai, chahe woh aam ho, ya zindagi ke sawal."

Priya smiled. “Hooty bhai, yeh puzzles bahut mazedaar hain! Aapne humein sikha diya ki math sirf boring nahi, kuch fun bhi ho sakta hai!”

Hooty flapped his wings proudly. "Jab tak tum apne dimaag ko use karoge, math kabhi boring nahi hoga! Yad rakhna, har puzzle ka ek solution hota hai, bas us solution ko dhundhna padta hai!"

Raj grinned. “Toh hum sabko math seekhna chahiye, aur puzzles solve karna chahiye. Kyunki jaise Hooty bhai ne kaha, ‘Jo solve kare, woh smart ho!’”

Hooty smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “Shabash, baccho! Tum sab ke andar ek great mathematician chhupa hua hai. Bas apna dimaag laga ke kaam karo, aur math ko apni dosti bana lo.”

With that, Hooty flapped his wings one last time and soared into the sky, leaving the kids laughing and chattering about their next math adventure.

As they went back to their classes, they felt a little smarter, a little more confident, and ready to face whatever math challenges came their way.

Moral of the story: Math is not boring; it's a fun adventure that sharpens your mind and helps you solve problems. Use your brain, and every puzzle will have a solution!