Joe was a doorman at a local club where only adults could enter. He often had the problem of people showing fake IDs to him to get in underage. However, Joe had a way to tell if they were lying. If he looked closely enough, he could see a glowing number above anyone's head showing their actual age. No one but himself knew about this ability, and he wasn't just about to tell anyone, either.
One day, when Joe was working, he had a rush of people in line to get into the club. Even though some were regulars, he still had to check their IDs. Most people gave their real IDs because they didn't need to lie. Some however, lied by showing Joe fake IDs.
One time that night, a teenage boy tried to get in with a fake ID. Joe could tell just from the way he looked that he was underage, but he still double-checked the number above the boy's head. The number was fifteen. He checked the ID, and then did some quick mental math to confirm that the ID could not belong to someone who was fifteen years old. He kept the fake ID, and then said to the boy, "Listen, kid, I know this is a fake ID. You can't come in." The boy yelled, "Please don't call the cops!" Then, he sprinted away.
A few more people came and got in fine, until this woman came up to Joe. She showed him her ID, and he checked the number above her head. "No, that can't be right," he thought to himself. "There's no way that's right."
"What are you staring at?" the woman asked. "Can you please just check my ID and let me in?"
"Of course," Joe said, as he took one more glance at her ID card. "I still can't believe this," he thought to himself. "There's no way she was 5,749 years old."
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5,749
General FictionJoe, a doorman at a club, has the unique ability to see people's ages glowing above their heads. One day, he spots something unusual while on the job.
