diff --git a/collects/mzlib/port.ss b/collects/mzlib/port.ss
index 25ed40a..13a8238 100644
--- a/collects/mzlib/port.ss
+++ b/collects/mzlib/port.ss
@@ -76,16 +76,29 @@
      (cons dest dests))
     (let ([s (make-bytes 4096)])
       (let loop ()
-	(let ([c (read-bytes-avail! s src)])
-	  (unless (eof-object? c)
-	    (for-each
-	     (lambda (dest)
-	       (let loop ([start 0])
-		 (unless (= start c)
-		   (let ([c2 (write-bytes-avail s dest start c)])
-		     (loop (+ start c2))))))
-	     (cons dest dests))
-	    (loop))))))
+	(let ([b (peek-byte-or-special src)])
+	  (if (or (byte? b) (eof-object? b))
+	      ;; Read-bytes-avail should work fine --- assuming
+	      ;; that no one else reads the byte, first. So we
+	      ;; have a race condition here, and the solution is
+	      ;; to add read-bytes-avail-or-special! to MzScheme
+	      (let ([c (read-bytes-avail! s src)])
+		(unless (eof-object? c)
+		  (for-each
+		   (lambda (dest)
+		     (let loop ([start 0])
+		       (unless (= start c)
+			 (let ([c2 (write-bytes-avail s dest start c)])
+			   (loop (+ start c2))))))
+		   (cons dest dests))
+		  (loop)))
+	      ;; Got a special
+	      (begin
+		(for-each
+		 (lambda (dest)
+		   (write-special dest b))
+		 (cons dest dests))
+		(loop)))))))
   
   (define merge-input
     (case-lambda
@@ -116,7 +129,8 @@
 	  rd))]))
 
   ;; Not kill-safe.
-  ;; Works only when read proc never returns an event.
+  ;; If the `read' proc returns an event, the event must produce 
+  ;;  0 always
   (define (make-input-port/read-to-peek name read fast-peek close)
     (define lock-semaphore (make-semaphore 1))
     (define-values (peeked-r peeked-w) (make-pipe))
@@ -141,7 +155,8 @@
       (if (char-ready? peeked-r)
 	  (read-bytes-avail!* s peeked-r)
 	  ;; If nothing is saved from a peeking read,
-	  ;; dispatch to `read', otherwise
+	  ;; dispatch to `read', otherwise return
+	  ;; previously peeked data
 	  (cond
 	   [(null? special-peeked) 
 	    (when progress-requested? (make-progress))
@@ -175,7 +190,7 @@
 	    ;; specials.
 	    (cond
 	     [(and unless-evt (sync/timeout 0 unless-evt))
-	      0]
+	      #f]
 	     [(null? special-peeked)
 	      ;; Empty special queue, so read through the original proc
 	      (let ([r (read s)])
@@ -186,6 +201,15 @@
 		  (write-bytes s peeked-w 0 r)
 		  ;; Now try again
 		  (peek-bytes-avail!* s skip #f peeked-r)]
+		 [(evt? r)
+		  (if unless-evt
+		      ;; Technically, there's a race condition here.
+		      ;; We might choose r (and return 0) even when
+		      ;; unless-evt becomes available first. However,
+		      ;; this race is not detectable only by the inside
+		      ;; of `read'.
+		      (choice-evt r (wrap-evt unless-evt (lambda (x) #f)))
+		      r)]
 		 [else
 		  (set! special-peeked (cons r null))
 		  (set! special-peeked-tail special-peeked)
@@ -194,7 +218,7 @@
 	     [else
 	      ;; Non-empty special queue, so try to use it
 	      (let* ([pos (file-position peeked-r)]
-		     [avail (- peeked-end pos)]
+		     [avail (max 0 (- peeked-end pos))]
 		     [sk (- skip avail)])
 		(let loop ([sk sk]
 			   [l special-peeked])
@@ -206,10 +230,10 @@
 			   [r (read t)])
 		      (cond
 		       [(evt? r) 
-			;; We can't deal with an event, so complain
-			(error 'make-input-port/read-to-peek 
-			       "original read produced an event: ~e"
-			       r)]
+			(if unless-evt
+			    ;; See note above
+			    (choice-evt r (wrap-evt unless-evt (lambda (x) #f)))
+			    r)]
 		       [(eq? r 0) 
 			;; Original read thinks a spin is ok,
 			;;  so we return 0 to skin, too.
@@ -298,7 +322,81 @@
        (set! progress-requested? #t)
        (port-progress-evt peeked-r))
      commit-it))
-       
+
+  ;; Not kill-safe.
+  (define make-pipe-with-specials
+    (opt-lambda ([limit (expt 2 64)] [in-name 'pipe] [out-name 'pipe])
+      (let-values ([(r w) (make-pipe limit)]
+		   [(more) null]
+		   [(more-last) #f]
+		   [(more-sema) #f]
+		   [(sema-semaphore) (make-semaphore 1)])
+	(define (flush-more)
+	  (if (null? more)
+	      (set! more-last #f)
+	      (when (bytes? (car more))
+		(write-bytes (car more) w)
+		(set! more (cdr more))
+		(flush-more))))
+	(values
+	 (make-input-port/read-to-peek 
+	  in-name
+	  (lambda (s)
+	    (let ([v (read-bytes-avail! r)])
+	      (if (eq? v 0)
+		  (if more-last
+		      ;; Return a special
+		      (let ([a (car more)])
+			(set! more (cdr more))
+			(flush-more)
+			(lambda (file line col ppos)
+			  a))
+		      ;; Nothing available, yet.
+		      (call-with-semaphore
+		       sema-semaphore
+		       (lambda ()
+			 (unless more-sema
+			   (set! more-sema (make-semaphore)))
+			 (wrap-evt (semaphore-peek-evt more-sema)
+				   (lambda (x) 0))))))))
+	  #f
+	  void)
+	 (make-output-port
+	  out-name
+	  always-evt
+	  ;; write
+	  (lambda (str start end buffer? w/break?)
+	    (call-with-semaphore
+	     sema-semaphore
+	     (lambda ()
+	       (if more-last
+		   (let ([p (cons (subbytes str start end) null)])
+		     (set-cdr! more-last p)
+		     (set! more-last p))
+		   (write-bytes str w start end))
+	       (when more-sema
+		 (semaphore-post more-sema)
+		 (set! more-sema #f)))))
+	  ;; close
+	  (lambda ()
+	    (call-with-semaphore
+	     sema-semaphore
+	     (lambda ()
+	       (close-output-port w)
+	       (set! more null)
+	       (set! more-last #f)
+	       (when more-sema
+		 (semaphore-post more-sema)))))
+	  ;; write-special
+	  (lambda (v buffer? w/break?)
+	    (call-with-semaphore
+	     sema-semaphore
+	     (lambda ()
+	       (let ([p (cons v null)])
+		 (if more-last
+		     (set-cdr! more-last p)
+		     (set! more p))
+		 (set! more-last p))))))))))
 
   (define input-port-append
     (opt-lambda (close-orig? . ports)
@@ -311,7 +409,7 @@
 	     eof
 	     (let ([n (read-bytes-avail!* str (car ports))])
 	       (cond
-		[(eq? n 0) (car ports)]
+		[(eq? n 0) (wrap-evt (car ports) (lambda (x) 0))]
 		[(eof-object? n)
 		 (when close-orig?
 		   (close-input-port (car ports)))