Philip Prtip is my name. Petrip is my fathers family name, but i never knew my

mother and father. They both died when I was a baby. Because I could not say my name when I was a young child, I called myself Pip. Pip has been my name ever since.

My story begins when I was about seven years old. It was a cold, grey winter afternoon just before Christmas, and I was in the graveyard where my mother and father are buried. I often went to this dark and frightening place to think about them. I was feeling sad and I began to cry

'Quiet!' shouted a terrible voice. 'Keep still

- or I'll kill you!'

Suddenly, a man was holding me by the neck.

"Oh, please don't kill me, sir!' cried.

The man was very dirty and was wearing old, grey clothes and

broken shoes.

"Tell me your name, the man shouted. "Tell me. Ouick!'

'Pip. Pip, sir, I answered.

'Where do you live? he

asked.

I pointed towards our village, which was about a mile away from the churchyard. I was crying and shaking with fear.

'Now, said the terrible man.

'Where's your mother?'

"There, sir, I said and pointed over his shoulder to my mother's gravestone.

The man looked frightened.

'I mean - she's buried there, sir! I said quickly.

'Oh, said the man. 'And is that your father there buried next to your mother?"

'Yes, sir; I replied.

"Then who do you live with?' the man asked. "... If I let you live!' he added quickly.

'With my sister, sir - Mrs Joe Gargery - wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, sir'

'A blacksmith, is he?' the man said and looked down at his leg. There was a heavy piece of metal round his ankle, with a broken chain coming from it.

'Do you know what a file is? he asked.

'Yes, sir. It's a tool for cutting metal, I told him.

'Bring me a file and some food, the man said slowly. 'Bring them early in the morning to the Old Fort - over there, near the river. If you tell anyone about me, the terrible man said, 'I will kill you!

'Now, I'm not alone; he said. "There's a young man near here, listening to every word I say. He has a secret way of finding a boy, wherever he is. Even if a boy is warm in bed, behind a locked door, that young man can find him and kill him!

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Hope you like it🦋🦋🦋

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See you in next chapter