Yes. You can use an anonymous subroutine.

sub a {
   my $xcode= sub { print "Hidden!\n"; };
   $xcode->();

}
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But "Is the best way to do this by just having a subroutine reference at the package level, and assigning anonymous subroutines into it from inside a() and b()?" sounds like a method which means you should probably be looking into using objects.

-Lee

"To be civilized is to deny one's nature."