The Secret story
Theodore, a 12-year-old orphan, is finally able to leave the orphanage he lives in when he is adopted by a rich, childless couple known as the Colberts. Unknown to Theodore, his new parents harbor a dark secret. However, unknown to the Colberts, Theodore has a dark secret of his own. Directed by: J. Michael Riva. Story by: Doug Ronning.
18 total · 9 major · 9 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| adoption of a child | major | The story concerns a vampire couple, known as the Colberts, adopting an orphan boy for the purpose of feasting on his sweet blood. But little did they know they brought home a little more than they could chew. |
| bird in a gilded cage | major | Young Theodore was held captive in a sumptuous room with all the things a boy might seemingly ever desire: toys and desserts for every meal. |
| dark family secret | major | Unknown to Theodore, his new parents harbored a dark secret: they were vampires. However unknown to the Colberts, Theodore had a dark secret of his own: he was a werewolf. |
| husband and wife | major | Theodore was adopted by a rich, childless couple known as the Colberts. As the Colberts later revealed themselves to be two bloodthirsty vampires, it is somewhat ambiguous whether they were also husband and wife or merely posing as such. The theme, alas, is topical whichever way we choose to interpret matters. |
| material possessions aren't everything | major | Theodore got all the material things he had ever imagined wanting, but found that without human companionship it was all vapid and meaningless. He dreamed of his old companions at the orphanarium, and played with Tobias the butler. |
| orphanhood | major | The story follows the orphan boy Theodore as he is adopted by the enigmatic Colberts. |
| vampire | major | The story concerns a vampire couple, known as the Colberts, adopting an orphan boy for the purpose of feasting on his sweet blood. But little did they know they brought home a little more than they could chew. |
| werewolf | major | The orphan boy Theodore being a werewolf with a taste the blood of his new vampire parents was the big reveal of the story. |
| what if I had a life-changing stroke of good fortune | major | The orphan boy Theodore got all the material things he had ever imagined wanting, but found that without human companionship it was all vapid and meaningless. |
| betrayal | minor | The man-servant Tobias double-crossed his vampire masters by trying to escape with little Theodore before blood-meal time. |