diff --git a/src/c/io/read.c b/src/c/io/read.c
index 7811bf1..fdef2a4 100644
--- a/src/c/io/read.c
+++ b/src/c/io/read.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "io/read.h"
 #include "memory/node.h"
 #include "memory/pointer.h"
+#include "memory/pso.h"
 #include "memory/pso2.h"
 #include "memory/tags.h"
 
@@ -208,6 +209,7 @@ struct pso_pointer read( struct pso_pointer frame_pointer,
                 break;
             default:
                struct pso_pointer next = make_frame( frame_pointer, stream, readtable, make_character(c));
+               inc_ref( next);
                if ( iswdigit( c ) ) {
                     result =
                         read_number( next, env );
@@ -221,6 +223,7 @@ struct pso_pointer read( struct pso_pointer frame_pointer,
 //                                                    make_string( c, NIL ) ),
 //                                         frame_pointer );
                 }
+               dec_ref( next);
                 break;
         }
 	}
diff --git a/src/c/ops/bind.c b/src/c/ops/bind.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..906423e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/c/ops/bind.c
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/**
+ *  ops/bind.c
+ *
+ *  Post Scarcity Software Environment: bind.
+ *
+ *  Add a binding for a key/value pair to a store -- at this stage, just an
+ *  association list.
+ *
+ *  (c) 2026 Simon Brooke <simon@journeyman.cc>
+ *  Licensed under GPL version 2.0, or, at your option, any later version.
+ */
+
+#include "memory/node.h"
+#include "memory/pointer.h"
+#include "memory/pso.h"
+#include "memory/pso4.h"
+#include "memory/tags.h"
+
+#include "ops/stack_ops.h"
+
+#include "payloads/cons.h"
+#include "payloads/stack.h"
+
+struct pso_pointer bind( struct pso_pointer frame_pointer,
+                            struct pso_pointer env) {
+	struct pso4 *frame = pointer_to_pso4( frame_pointer);
+	struct pso_pointer key = fetch_arg( frame, 0);
+	struct pso_pointer value = fetch_arg( frame, 1);
+	struct pso_pointer store = fetch_arg( frame, 2);
+
+	return cons( cons(key, value), store);
+}
+
+struct pso_pointer c_bind( struct pso_pointer key,
+		struct pso_pointer value,
+		struct pso_pointer store) {
+	struct pso_pointer result = nil;
+	struct pso_pointer next = make_frame( nil, key, value, store);
+	inc_ref( next);
+	result = bind( next, nil);
+	dec_ref( next);
+
+	return result;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/c/ops/bind.h b/src/c/ops/bind.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..093de48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/c/ops/bind.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/**
+ *  ops/bind.h
+ *
+ *  Post Scarcity Software Environment: bind.
+ *
+ *  Test for pointer binduality.
+ *
+ *  (c) 2026 Simon Brooke <simon@journeyman.cc>
+ *  Licensed under GPL version 2.0, or, at your option, any later version.
+ */
+
+#ifndef __psse_ops_bind_h
+#define __psse_ops_bind_h
+#include <stdbool.h>
+
+#include "memory/pointer.h"
+
+struct pso_pointer bind( struct pso_pointer frame_pointer,
+                            struct pso_pointer env);
+
+struct pso_pointer c_bind( struct pso_pointer key,
+		struct pso_pointer value,
+		struct pso_pointer store);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/c/payloads/cons.c b/src/c/payloads/cons.c
index 5da54bc..050af51 100644
--- a/src/c/payloads/cons.c
+++ b/src/c/payloads/cons.c
@@ -33,11 +33,8 @@ struct pso_pointer cons( struct pso_pointer car, struct pso_pointer cdr ) {
     struct pso_pointer result = allocate( CONSTAG, 2 );
 
     struct pso2 *object = pointer_to_object( result );
-    object->payload.cons.car = car;
-    object->payload.cons.cdr = cdr;
-
-    inc_ref( car );
-    inc_ref( cdr );
+    object->payload.cons.car = inc_ref( car );
+    object->payload.cons.cdr = inc_ref( cdr );
 
     return result;
 }