diff --git a/counter.py b/counter.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..015aa71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/counter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+class Counter:
+    """
+    Simple counter with increment, decrement, and value retrieval.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, initial: int = 0) -> None:
+        self._value = int(initial)
+
+    def increment(self, amount: int = 1) -> None:
+        """
+        Increase the counter by 'amount' (default 1).
+        """
+        self._value += int(amount)
+
+    def decrement(self, amount: int = 1) -> None:
+        """
+        Decrease the counter by 'amount' (default 1).
+        """
+        self._value -= int(amount)
+
+    def get_value(self) -> int:
+        """
+        Return the current counter value.
+        """
+        return self._value