[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-116182-en":3,"doc-seo-116182-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":92},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":11,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":26,"seo_description":27,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},116182,34359740700684,"Finn","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1f400023980c374ae676?_k=1777273430885731487",1,"Story & Novel","Beautiful Monsters by Eric Vall","\u003Cp>A contractor named John Shelby receives a call from Monica Rappaport at the Roanoke County School Board about his proposal for an after-school electronics repair club. John’s plan, inspired by helping a frustrated child fix an iPhone, is praised for passion and usefulness, but the board ultimately rejects it due to budget constraints. He tries to steady himself amid disappointment, reflecting on how earlier hope and effort have collided with funding cuts and an unfair springday mood.\u003C/p>","\u003Cp>[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Would you like to see chapters of my books before they come out? Do you want to see cover art sketches and vote on which poses should make it to final production? Would you like to see even sexier versions of my covers? Would you like to get my audiobooks at a deep discount?  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Of course you would! Join my Patreon here to get all these awesome benefits (or search for my name [on Patreon.com](on Patreon.com)).  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can also join my Facebook group right here. Then you’ll know when my books come out before anyone else.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Chapter 1  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Hello,” I said in as casual a voice as I could manage.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I’d just finished my last job of the day when my phone buzzed in the pocket of my coveralls. My heart pounded in my ears as I leaned against the side of my van and attempted to calm myself.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Hi there!” The voice on the other end was bright, bubbly, and sounded about twelve years old.“Is this John Shelby?”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Yes, speaking,” I replied.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“This is Monica Rappaport from the Roanoke County School Board,” the chirpy voice said.“How are you this afternoon, Mr. Shelby?”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“I’m well, thank you,” I spoke calmly, and in a way I hoped hid the impatience roaring up inside me.“How are you?”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Oh, I’m very well, Mr. Shelby, thank you for asking!” Monica trilled.“I’m just calling to let you know the school board has discussed your proposal for an after-school club teaching computer repair skills.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>There was a pause.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I guessed it was my turn to say something.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Okay,” I said.“That’s good to hear.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Yes!” Monica sang.“Everyone on the school board loved your idea, and we really enjoyed your presentation! It’s so nice to see someone so passionate about their subject.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Thank you,” I said cautiously.“I think it’s an important skill. Y’know, with all the built-in obsolescence we’re dealing with, and with how big a part tech plays in kids’ lives these days, I think it would be really useful for them to learn how to actually repair their devices. Would save them money in the long run, too.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Of course!” Monica enthused.“As I said, we were all super excited by your presentation. So…”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>My heart began to soar, and a smile started to spread across my face.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“So,” Monica continued,“it was a real shame when we discovered there’s just no money in the budget for something like that.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>My heart crashed to the ground with a thud.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Oh,” I said.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“But we were all super impressed by your passion and enthusiasm!”Monica assured me, as if that was the part I was worried about.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I rubbed my forehead.“Thank you for saying that.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“We really did think it was a super fun idea!” Monica bubbled.“But we crunched the numbers, and it just wasn’t feasible. But thank you so much for putting the idea forward! We’re always so thrilled to hear from the people in our community, especially those with a valuable skill set like yours!”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Evidently, my skills weren’t valuable enough.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“No problem, I understand.” I took a deep breath and tried to make my voice sound more cheerful.“I know how hard teachers have it these days.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Well, we do the best we can!” Monica let out a bubbly laugh.“Anyway, thank you so much for speaking to us about this, Mr. Shelby! Again, we loved hearing you talk about your subject. You have a good day now!”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Thank you, Monica,” I said.“You have a good day, too.”  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>“I will!” Monica chirped.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I had no doubt about that.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I ended the call, dropped my phone back into my pocket, and tipped my head back to stare at the sky. It was one of the first warm, early spring  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>days we’d had this year, which at this moment felt pretty unfair. I wanted thunderclouds and a rainstorm to match how I felt inside. Not a clean wash of bright blue sky, a light breeze, and impossibly white wisps of clouds sailing merrily across the horizon.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Still. It was appropriately on-brand with how everything else in my life was going at the moment.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I’d been so sure the school board would go for my idea about afterschool clubs. Kids were surrounded \u003C/p>","cbCaibAirNsLmeZo","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaibAirNsLmeZo","pdf",1342850,242,"English","en",105,"# Chapter 1\n## Phone call from the school board\n## Rejected proposal and budget cuts\n## John’s inspiration and backstory","[{\"question\":\"Who contacts John Shelby and what is the call about?\",\"answer\":\"Monica Rappaport from the Roanoke County School Board calls John. She informs him that the board discussed his proposal for an after-school club teaching computer repair skills.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the school board ultimately reject the after-school club idea?\",\"answer\":\"Although the board loved John’s presentation, they found there was no money in the budget and the plan was not feasible.\"},{\"question\":\"What inspired John Shelby to plan an electronics repair club?\",\"answer\":\"John’s idea came after helping a ten-year-old in an apartment corridor figure out why his iPhone would not turn on, and seeing the relief on the child’s face.\"}]","Beautiful Monsters by Eric Vall | PDF","A contractor named John Shelby receives a call from Monica Rappaport at the Roanoke County School Board about his proposal for an after-school electronics repair club. John’s plan, inspired by helping a frustrated child fix an iPhone, is praised for passion and usefulness, but the board ultimately rejects it due to budget constraints. 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