With that, we departed, and I led them on the path near the river. I explained much more along the way, including where I came from, who were my "fathers," as Aragorn called them, and that I had heard of their tale long before I met them that day in the woods. "How can this be?" said Gimli, halting. He was clearly still quite suspicious of my motives in helping them. I stopped again, and dug around in the pack I was carrying. I pulled out a battered copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. On the cover was a picture of Gandalf, just as he looked standing before me. My companions gaped at the book in awe. Boromir took it and leafed through the pages, stopping now and then to read a passage. As the words were in the 'common tongue,' he was able to understand what was written. Merry and Pippin, standing next to me, were also in shock, as on the back of the book cover, they saw a picture of themselves. "How did you come by such a thing, Rebecca?" inquired Merry. At this point, I was at a loss as to what to say. How could I explain that these people were not real? That they had been made up by a fabulous author and become some of the most beloved literary characters of our time? Much more, I had no idea how to tell them that I already knew how their story would end.