diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/codegen/Dereference.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/codegen/Dereference.java
index 08e538a9..66fcaf89 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/codegen/Dereference.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/codegen/Dereference.java
@@ -695,7 +695,21 @@ public static void handleArrowArrayDeref(EmitterVisitor emitterVisitor, BinaryOp
         emitterVisitor.ctx.mv.visitVarInsn(Opcodes.ASTORE, leftSlot);
 
         ArrayLiteralNode right = (ArrayLiteralNode) node.right;
-        if (right.elements.size() == 1) {
+        
+        // Check if this is a true array literal (contains only literal elements like strings and numbers)
+        // and has a single range operator in the indices
+        boolean isArrayLiteral = node.left instanceof ArrayLiteralNode leftArray &&
+                              leftArray.elements.stream().allMatch(elem -> 
+                                  elem instanceof StringNode || 
+                                  elem instanceof NumberNode) &&
+                              leftArray.elements.size() > 1;  // Must have multiple literal elements
+        
+        boolean isSingleRange = right.elements.size() == 1 &&
+                              right.elements.getFirst() instanceof BinaryOperatorNode binOp &&
+                              "..".equals(binOp.operator);
+        
+        // Only apply the fix to true array literals with range operators
+        if (right.elements.size() == 1 && !(isArrayLiteral && isSingleRange)) {
             // Single index: use get/delete/exists methods
             Node elem = right.elements.getFirst();
             elem.accept(emitterVisitor.with(RuntimeContextType.SCALAR));