Ravi sat at his study desk, staring at his math homework. “Yaar, how many times will I have to solve these boring equations?” he muttered to himself. His homework was full of numbers that made no sense, and he was starting to feel like a detective stuck in a case with no clues.

Priya, his younger sister, was sitting on the floor, playing with her toys. She looked up and saw Ravi struggling. “Ravi bhaiya, why are you making that face? What happened?”

“Uff, Priya! This math homework is impossible! It’s all about fractions and decimals. I feel like I’m stuck in a never-ending maze!” Ravi replied, dramatically throwing his pencil on the table.

Priya giggled. “Aapko kuch nahi pata! Fractions are easy, bhaiya. You just need to break the numbers into smaller pieces.”

Ravi sighed. “But it’s not just about breaking them! Look at this—5/8, 3/4, and now this big question—0.75. How do I even figure these out?”

Suddenly, something caught Ravi's eye. On the corner of his desk was an old abacus, one that his grandfather had given him years ago. It had been sitting there, collecting dust, since Ravi was much younger.

“Wait, this abacus! I remember Nana ji saying it’s magical,” Ravi thought aloud. He had never really understood what his grandfather meant, but something about it seemed interesting now.

He reached out and picked up the abacus. To his surprise, the beads started moving on their own, clinking softly as they shifted.

“Ravi, it’s talking!” Priya whispered in awe.

Ravi blinked. “What? Talking? Priya, you’re imagining things.”

But the abacus spoke again, this time louder. “I’m not imagining things, Ravi. I can help you with your math!”

Ravi almost dropped the abacus in shock. “Did... did you just speak?”

The abacus chuckled. “Yes, yes! I’ve been waiting for someone who can truly understand the power of numbers. I am the Abacus of Wisdom, and I can guide you through the maze of math!”

Priya jumped up, excited. “Wah, Ravi bhaiya, a magical talking abacus! We’re going to be math geniuses!”

Ravi wasn’t so sure. “Okay, okay, let’s see if you really know your stuff. Help me with this homework.”

The abacus’s beads started to move, rearranging themselves into different patterns. “Let’s start with fractions. You said you don’t understand them. Well, think of fractions as parts of a whole. Imagine you’re sharing a pizza with your friends,” it said, “If you have 5 slices out of 8 total slices, that’s 5/8. Got it?”

Ravi nodded. “Oh, I get it! Like 5 parts of the pizza are yours. But what about decimals?”

The abacus glowed brighter. “Ah, decimals! Easy! You know how 1/2 is the same as 0.5? Just think of decimals as a way of writing fractions in a simpler form.”

“Like 3/4 is the same as 0.75?” Ravi asked, his eyes lighting up with understanding.

“Yes, exactly! And if you multiply 0.75 by 4, you get 3! That’s how math works. Numbers are like puzzle pieces that fit together if you know how to look at them.”

Ravi smiled. “Wow, I never thought of it like that before.”

But just then, something strange happened. The abacus started flashing, and the numbers on the beads swirled faster. “Oh no, Ravi! You’ve unlocked the next puzzle!” the abacus warned.

“What? No! What’s happening?” Ravi cried, as the room seemed to spin. Suddenly, the numbers flew off the abacus and started floating in the air, creating a glowing maze of equations and fractions.

“You need to solve the puzzle to stop the maze!” the abacus called out. “Here’s your challenge: Can you find the missing number in this sequence?”

Ravi’s heart raced. The floating numbers glowed like stars in the night sky, each one moving in a different direction. He stared at the equations, trying to figure it out. He remembered his lessons about fractions and decimals.

Finally, he shouted, “The missing number is 0.5! Because 1/2 is equal to 0.5, it fits perfectly in the sequence!”

The numbers froze, then slowly rearranged themselves into a beautiful pattern. The maze of equations vanished, and the room returned to normal.

Priya clapped her hands. “Wah, Ravi bhaiya! You solved it!”

The abacus, now calm again, spoke softly. “Well done, Ravi. You’ve learned more than just fractions. You’ve learned how to look at the world of numbers with wonder and curiosity. Keep practicing, and you’ll see how math can be a fun adventure!”

Ravi grinned, feeling proud. “Thanks, abacus. I guess math isn’t so bad after all!”

Priya jumped up, ready for more. “Next puzzle, please!”

Ravi laughed. “Let’s take it one step at a time, Priya. But I’m ready for anything now!”

And from that day on, Ravi knew that math wasn’t just about numbers on a page—it was a world full of magic, waiting to be discovered, one puzzle at a time.