The Root Beer Kid
by Chuck Bohatka, Jr.
Category: Fiction

The Root Beer Kid is a family-saga that weaves throughout the lives of the Elder family as they attempt to deal with the passing of their oldest boy, Eddie. Particularly troubled by his death, his younger brother Jerry, must find a way to cope with such a tragic loss, after all Eddie was his best friend. As he questions his own existence, the family that has kept him strong for so long is falling apart and he’s done nothing but watch. But now it’s time for action. Sure, dad has left and mom hasn’t stopped crying since the funeral, but he’s got bigger problems – he will be a freshman this fall. “Time to snap out of it, Jerry.” His days are filled with discovery and enthusiasm, his nights, anger and visits from Eddie. Has Jerry dealt with his brothers passing? Has he come to terms? As the questions surface his parents reconcile, but Jerry has a bone to pick. Too much for his mind to handle he retreats and finds a solution for all of his problems – a shiny silver can fuels his transformation into The Root Beer Kid. Becoming the kid leads him to a fantasy world where everything is as it should be, painless and eventful, but most importantly it offers him distance – distance from his family, distance from his brother and distance from himself. Will Jerry ever succumb to beast within? Will he survive?