diff --git a/runtime/native/value.ludic b/runtime/native/value.ludic
index 2140d677..5a89158b 100644
--- a/runtime/native/value.ludic
+++ b/runtime/native/value.ludic
@@ -258,15 +258,19 @@ function value_num_set(v: Val, n: int) -> void {
 }
 # a number's text, kept on the Value until the number changes (a count shown in a HUD every frame wrote
 # its text every frame; Ludic frees nothing)
+# interned, and the text written for it given back: a number that changed dropped its last text
 function value_num_text(v: Val) -> string {
   if v.txt != null { return v.txt }
-  if v.tag == 1 { v.txt = string(v.num) }
+  var t: string = null
+  if v.tag == 1 { t = string(v.num) }
   else if v.tag == 7 {
     let f = float_from_bits(v.num)
-    if f == float(int(f)) { v.txt = string(int(f)) } else { v.txt = string(f) }
+    if f == float(int(f)) { t = string(int(f)) } else { t = string(f) }
   }
-  else if v.tag == 2 { v.txt = json_fixed_str(v.num) }
-  if v.txt == null { return "" }
+  else if v.tag == 2 { t = json_fixed_str(v.num) }
+  if t == null { return "" }
+  v.txt = intern(t)
+  free(t)
   return v.txt
 }
 # a list or an object emptied in place, its room kept - for one filled again every frame
diff --git a/selfhost/backend/emit_fence_ir.ludic b/selfhost/backend/emit_fence_ir.ludic
index 47f47370..e4dfc5ee 100644
--- a/selfhost/backend/emit_fence_ir.ludic
+++ b/selfhost/backend/emit_fence_ir.ludic
@@ -253,6 +253,16 @@ function emit_fence_entry() -> void {
   emith("}\n")
   emith("define void @lp_free(ptr %o) {\n")
   emith("entry:\n")
+  emith("  %ist = ptrtoint ptr @lp_istore to i64\n")           # an interned text is the store's: never freed
+  emith("  %ien = add i64 %ist, 4194304\n")
+  emith("  %ix = ptrtoint ptr %o to i64\n")
+  emith("  %ige = icmp uge i64 %ix, %ist\n")
+  emith("  %ilt = icmp ult i64 %ix, %ien\n")
+  emith("  %iin = and i1 %ige, %ilt\n")
+  emith("  br i1 %iin, label %istore, label %free0\n")
+  emith("istore:\n")
+  emith("  ret void\n")
+  emith("free0:\n")
   emith("  %x = ptrtoint ptr %o to i64\n")
   emith("  %lo = load i64, ptr @lp_ar_lo\n")
   emith("  %hi = load i64, ptr @lp_ar_hi\n")
@@ -1837,6 +1847,16 @@ function emit_fence_win() -> void {
   emith("}\n")
   emith("define void @lp_free(ptr %o) {\n")
   emith("entry:\n")
+  emith("  %ist = ptrtoint ptr @lp_istore to i64\n")           # an interned text is the store's: never freed
+  emith("  %ien = add i64 %ist, 4194304\n")
+  emith("  %ix = ptrtoint ptr %o to i64\n")
+  emith("  %ige = icmp uge i64 %ix, %ist\n")
+  emith("  %ilt = icmp ult i64 %ix, %ien\n")
+  emith("  %iin = and i1 %ige, %ilt\n")
+  emith("  br i1 %iin, label %istore, label %free0\n")
+  emith("istore:\n")
+  emith("  ret void\n")
+  emith("free0:\n")
   emith("  tail call void @free(ptr %o)\n")
   emith("  ret void\n")
   emith("}\n")
@@ -1872,9 +1892,24 @@ function emit_fence_win() -> void {
 function emit_fence_intern() -> void {
   emith("@lp_itab = global [65536 x ptr] zeroinitializer\n")
   emith("@lp_icount = global i64 0\n")
+  # the interned texts' bytes: one store in the binary, filled front to back and never given back, so
+  # a text seen for the first time costs no allocation (a HUD's clock made one a minute); the heap
+  # only past its 4 MB
+  emith("@lp_istore = internal global [4194304 x i8] zeroinitializer\n")
+  emith("@lp_ipos = internal global i64 0\n")
   emith("define internal ptr @lp_copystr(ptr %s, i64 %n) {\n")
   emith("entry:\n")
   emith("  %n1 = add i64 %n, 1\n")
+  emith("  %pos = load i64, ptr @lp_ipos\n")
+  emith("  %end = add i64 %pos, %n1\n")
+  emith("  %fits = icmp ule i64 %end, 4194304\n")
+  emith("  br i1 %fits, label %bump, label %heap\n")
+  emith("bump:\n")
+  emith("  %b = getelementptr inbounds [4194304 x i8], ptr @lp_istore, i64 0, i64 %pos\n")
+  emith("  store i64 %end, ptr @lp_ipos\n")
+  emith("  call ptr @memcpy(ptr %b, ptr %s, i64 %n1)\n")
+  emith("  ret ptr %b\n")
+  emith("heap:\n")
   emith("  %p = call ptr @lp_malloc(i64 %n1)\n")
   emith("  call ptr @memcpy(ptr %p, ptr %s, i64 %n1)\n")
   emith("  ret ptr %p\n")