$|++;
print "0";
open OUT, ">/dev/null";
select OUT;
eval $ARGV[0];
select STDOUT;
print "\cH1\n";
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Update: Oops, I missed the part about outputting "1 character" - it looks like 1 character though.

All code given here is UNTESTED unless otherwise stated.

--Bob Niederman, http://bob-n.com