diff --git a/lox/read_file.lox b/lox/read_file.lox
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28c5d9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lox/read_file.lox
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+var filepath = "Cargo.toml";
+var c = read(filepath);
+while (c != nil) {
+  out(c);
+  c = read(filepath);
+}
diff --git a/src/native_functions.rs b/src/native_functions.rs
index 73438cf..c02c6ca 100644
--- a/src/native_functions.rs
+++ b/src/native_functions.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
+use lazy_static::lazy_static;
+use ordered_float::OrderedFloat;
 use std::{
+    collections::HashMap,
+    fs::File,
+    io::{BufReader, ErrorKind, Read},
     rc::Rc,
+    sync::RwLock,
     time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH},
 };
 
-use ordered_float::OrderedFloat;
-
 use crate::{
     callable::{Callable, CallingError},
     interpreter::Interpreter,
@@ -13,7 +17,6 @@ use crate::{
 
 /// Native clock function that returns the current time in seconds since the Unix epoch
 struct Clock;
-
 impl Callable for Clock {
     fn name(&self) -> String {
         "clock".into()
@@ -27,7 +30,7 @@ impl Callable for Clock {
     fn call(
         &self,
         _interpreter: &mut Interpreter,
-        _args: Vec<crate::value::Value>,
+        _args: Vec<Value>,
     ) -> Result<Value, CallingError> {
         let start = SystemTime::now();
         let since_the_epoch = start
@@ -38,10 +41,122 @@ impl Callable for Clock {
     }
 }
 
+lazy_static! {
+    static ref FILE_HANDLES: RwLock<HashMap<String, BufReader<File>>> = RwLock::new(HashMap::new());
+}
+
+/// Read function that returns each byte of a file.
+struct ReadFile;
+impl Callable for ReadFile {
+    fn name(&self) -> String {
+        "read".into()
+    }
+
+    fn arity(&self) -> usize {
+        1
+    }
+
+    fn call(
+        &self,
+        _interpreter: &mut Interpreter,
+        args: Vec<Value>,
+    ) -> Result<Value, CallingError> {
+        if args.len() != self.arity() {
+            return Err(CallingError::ArgumentMismatch(self.arity(), args.len()));
+        }
+
+        let file_path = args
+            .first()
+            .ok_or(CallingError::CallFailed("arg not readable".into()))?;
+        if let Value::String(file_path) = file_path {
+            self.ensure_file_handle(file_path)?;
+            let mut file_handles = FILE_HANDLES.write().unwrap();
+            let reader = file_handles.get_mut(file_path).unwrap();
+            let mut buffer = [0; 1];
+            let character = match reader.read_exact(&mut buffer) {
+                Ok(_) => {
+                    let character = buffer[0] as char;
+                    Value::String(character.to_string())
+                }
+                Err(e) if e.kind() == ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof => Value::Nil,
+                Err(e) => return Err(CallingError::CallFailed(e.to_string())),
+            };
+
+            Ok(character)
+        } else {
+            Err(CallingError::CallFailed(
+                "file_path arg must be a string".into(),
+            ))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl ReadFile {
+    fn is_fresh(&self, file_path: &str) -> bool {
+        let file_handles = FILE_HANDLES.read().unwrap();
+        !file_handles.contains_key(file_path)
+    }
+
+    fn ensure_file_handle(&self, file_path: &str) -> Result<(), CallingError> {
+        if self.is_fresh(file_path) {
+            let file =
+                File::open(file_path).map_err(|e| CallingError::CallFailed(e.to_string()))?;
+            let reader = BufReader::new(file);
+            let mut file_handles = FILE_HANDLES.write().unwrap();
+            file_handles.insert(file_path.to_string(), reader);
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
+struct Out;
+impl Callable for Out {
+    fn name(&self) -> String {
+        "out".into()
+    }
+
+    fn arity(&self) -> usize {
+        1
+    }
+
+    fn call(
+        &self,
+        _interpreter: &mut Interpreter,
+        args: Vec<Value>,
+    ) -> Result<Value, CallingError> {
+        if args.len() != self.arity() {
+            return Err(CallingError::ArgumentMismatch(self.arity(), args.len()));
+        }
+
+        let value = args
+            .first()
+            .ok_or(CallingError::CallFailed("arg not readable".into()))?;
+        if let Value::String(value) = value {
+            print!("{value}");
+            Ok(Value::Nil)
+        } else {
+            Err(CallingError::CallFailed(
+                "file_path arg must be a string".into(),
+            ))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Return all native functions available to the Lox interpreter
 pub fn all() -> Vec<(String, Value)> {
-    vec![(
-        "clock".into(),
-        Value::Callable((Rc::new(Clock {}), CallableType::Function)),
-    )]
+    vec![
+        (
+            "clock".into(),
+            Value::Callable((Rc::new(Clock {}), CallableType::Function)),
+        ),
+        (
+            "out".into(),
+            Value::Callable((Rc::new(Out {}), CallableType::Function)),
+        ),
+        (
+            "read".into(),
+            Value::Callable((Rc::new(ReadFile {}), CallableType::Function)),
+        ),
+    ]
 }