diff --git a/CgOp.pm b/CgOp.pm
index f4071271..baa49d3b 100644
--- a/CgOp.pm
+++ b/CgOp.pm
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use warnings;
     package CgOp;
     use Moose;
 
-    has zyg => (isa => 'ArrayRef', is => 'ro', default => sub { [] });
+    has zyg => (isa => 'ArrayRef[CgOp]', is => 'ro', default => sub { [] });
     # filled in by cps_convert
     # 0: returns on eval stack, can appear w/ non-empty
     # 1: returns in resultSlot, cannot appear w/ non-empty
@@ -429,7 +429,8 @@ use warnings;
 
     sub box {
         rawscall('Kernel.BoxAny', $_[1],
-            $_[0] eq 'Str' ? rawsget('Kernel.StrP') :
+            blessed($_[0]) ? $_[0] :
+            ($_[0] eq 'Str') ? rawsget('Kernel.StrP') :
                 fetch(scopedlex($_[0])));
     }
 
diff --git a/CodeGen.pm b/CodeGen.pm
index 887263c7..fd684eed 100644
--- a/CodeGen.pm
+++ b/CodeGen.pm
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ use 5.010;
             { SearchForHandler => [c => 'Void'] },
         'Niecza.LexoticControlException' =>
             { SearchForHandler => [c => 'Void'] },
+        'Cursor' =>
+            { At           => [m => 'Cursor'],
+              Exact        => [m => 'Cursor'],
+              pos          => [f => 'Int32'] },
 
         'System.IO.File.ReadAllText' => [m => 'System.String'],
 
diff --git a/Cursor.cs b/Cursor.cs
index c1c7e480..6ae7cdd5 100644
--- a/Cursor.cs
+++ b/Cursor.cs
@@ -1,25 +1,45 @@
 // this exists to allow O(1) addition, since additions (esp. in the presence
 // of backtracking) dominate lookups
-public class Matched {
-    Matched  prev;
-    string   name;
-    Variable val;
-    bool     listify_sentinel;
-}
-
-public class Match {
-    public string backing;
-    public int from;
-    public int to;
-    public Dictionary<string,Variable> captures;
-}
-
-public class Xact {
-    
+//public class Matched {
+//    Matched  prev;
+//    string   name;
+//    Variable val;
+//    bool     listify_sentinel;
+//}
+//
+//public class Match {
+//    public string backing;
+//    public int from;
+//    public int to;
+//    public Dictionary<string,Variable> captures;
+//}
+//
+//public class Xact {
+//    
 
 public class Cursor {
-    // TODO: use a mutable form, for <cut>
+    // XXX It's a bit wrong that we ref the string both from the cursor and
+    // from $*ORIG.
     public string backing;
     public int pos;
-    public Matched captures;
+
+    public Cursor(string backing, int pos) {
+        this.backing = backing;
+        this.pos = pos;
+    }
+
+    public Cursor(string backing) : this(backing, 0) { }
+
+    public Cursor At(int npos) {
+        return new Cursor(backing, npos);
+    }
+
+    public Cursor Exact(string what) {
+        if (backing.Length - what.Length >= pos &&
+                backing.Substring(pos, what.Length) == what) {
+            return At(pos + what.Length);
+        } else {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/Niecza.proj b/Niecza.proj
index 17b58edf..a94f85f0 100644
--- a/Niecza.proj
+++ b/Niecza.proj
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@
     </Target>
 
     <!-- Libraries -->
-    <Target Name="Kernel.dll" Inputs="Kernel.cs" Outputs="Kernel.dll">
-        <Csc Sources="Kernel.cs" TargetType="library"
+    <Target Name="Kernel.dll" Inputs="Kernel.cs;Cursor.cs" Outputs="Kernel.dll">
+        <Csc Sources="Kernel.cs;Cursor.cs" TargetType="library"
             OutputAssembly="Kernel.dll"/>
         <Exec Condition="$(UseAOT) == 'Y'" Command="mono --aot Kernel.dll"/>
     </Target>
diff --git a/SAFE.setting b/SAFE.setting
index b81a2627..24f26edb 100644
--- a/SAFE.setting
+++ b/SAFE.setting
@@ -852,8 +852,13 @@ sub postcircumfix:<{ }> is rawcall {
 # these are immutable, though we may wind up reusing them in some cases by
 # uniqueness rules (TBD)
 my class Cursor {
-    has $.str;
-    has $.from;
+    method new($str) { Q:CgOp { (box (@ (l self)) (rawnew Cursor (unbox String
+        (@ (l $str))))) } }
+    method pos { Q:CgOp { (box Num (cast Double (getfield pos
+        (unbox Cursor (@ (l self)))))) } }
+    method cursor($np) { Q:CgOp { (box (@ (l self)) (rawcall
+        (unbox Cursor (@ (l self))) At
+          (cast Int32 (unbox Double (@ (l $np)))))) } }
 }
 
 # Outside a regex, a result is a lazy list.
@@ -918,21 +923,23 @@ sub _rxplus($C, $sub) {
 
 sub _rxstr($C, $str) {
     #say "_rxstr : " ~ ($C.str ~ (" @ " ~ ($C.from ~ (" ? " ~ $str))));
-    if (($C.from + $str.chars) <= $C.str.chars) &&
-            ($C.str.substr($C.from, $str.chars) eq $str) {
-        _rxone(Cursor.RAWCREATE("str", $C.str, "from", ($C.from + $str.chars)));
-    } else {
-        &_rxnone;
-    }
+    Q:CgOp {
+        (letn rt (rawcall (unbox Cursor (@ (l $C))) Exact
+                   (unbox String (@ (l $str))))
+          [ternary
+            (!= (l rt) (null Cursor))
+            (subcall (@ (l &_rxone)) (box (@ (l $C)) (l rt)))
+            (l &_rxnone)])
+    };
 }
 
 my class Regex is Sub {
     method ACCEPTS($str) {
         my $i = 0;
         my $win = 0;
+        my $C = Cursor.new($str);
         while !$win && ($i <= $str.chars) {
-            my $C = Cursor.RAWCREATE("str", $str, "from", $i);
-            if (self)($C) {
+            if (self)($C.cursor($i)) {
                 $win = 1;
             }
             $i++;
@@ -943,8 +950,8 @@ my class Regex is Sub {
 
 my class Grammar is Cursor {
     method parse($text) {
-        my @results := self.RAWCREATE("str", $text, "from", 0).TOP\
-            .grep({ $_.from == $_.str.chars });
+        my @results := self.new($text).TOP\
+            .grep({ $_.pos == $text.chars });
         @results ?? @results.shift !! Any; # TODO List.at-pos
     }
 }