India, Aug. 3 -- Our main puzzle this week is an adaptation of an 11th-century Arabian original. Because readers have solved similar (if not identical) puzzles in these columns before, I have added some new details to my version. That said, it was interesting enough as it was in the original form. Neither version, however, is particularly difficult.

#Puzzle 206.1

A boy of 12, who loves Enid Blyton and Harry Potter, has named his pet parrot Kiki and his owl Hedwig. He lives in a one-storey house (ground floor with a terrace) on a street where the buildings are of variable heights. He lets his birds out every afternoon after returning from school, and calls them back in the evening when his mother reminds him it's time for his homework. ...