diff --git a/basis/call/call-tests.factor b/basis/call/call-tests.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a59a6d2fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/call/call-tests.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+! Copyright (C) 2009 Daniel Ehrenberg.
+! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
+USING: math tools.test call kernel ;
+IN: call.tests
+
+[ 3 ] [ 1 2 [ + ] call( x y -- z ) ] unit-test
+[ 1 2 [ + ] call( -- z ) ] must-fail
+[ 1 2 [ + ] call( x y -- z a ) ] must-fail
+[ 1 2 3 { 4 } ] [ 1 2 3 4 [ datastack nip ] call( x -- y ) ] unit-test
+[ [ + ] call( x y -- z ) ] must-infer
diff --git a/basis/call/call.factor b/basis/call/call.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..363b024dff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/call/call.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+! Copyright (C) 2009 Daniel Ehrenberg.
+! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
+USING: kernel macros fry summary sequences generalizations accessors
+continuations effects.parser parser ;
+IN: call
+
+ERROR: wrong-values values quot length-required ;
+
+M: wrong-values summary
+    drop "Wrong number of values returned from quotation" ;
+
+<PRIVATE
+
+: firstn-safe ( array quot n -- ... )
+    3dup nip swap length = [ nip firstn ] [ wrong-values ] if ; inline
+
+PRIVATE>
+
+MACRO: call-effect ( effect -- quot )
+    [ in>> length ] [ out>> length ] bi
+    '[ [ _ narray ] dip [ with-datastack ] keep _ firstn-safe ] ;
+
+: call(
+    ")" parse-effect parsed \ call-effect parsed ; parsing