The Answer

Well, here is the answer to why Bilbo got to play the riddles in the dark game with Gollum, and ask the question `what have i got in my pocket?'.

Because at least Gollum had a chance with Bilbo...

Here's what he would have had to guess is Neil Gaiman had been playing the part:

13. What do you have in your pockets?

I'll empty them out. Hold on.

Okay. A brown Watermans ink cartridge. A bottle of brown Sheaffer ink. Two KLM complimentary chapsticks. Nail clippers (oh good. I'd been wondering where that had gone). A half-finished pack of blackcurrant throat pastilles. Three antiseptic handwipes. A Swiss Army Watch with a broken strap. Seven black sharpies, and three silver sharpies, divided more or less randomly among the six pockets. iPod headphones. Ultra violet invisible ink pen with attached ultra violet light for reading invisible writing with. Small piece of carved red cinnabar on a black leather cord. Two interesting pebbles. A black leather wallet. Plane tickets. Passport. Lamy fountain pen. Photo of me someone took at the press conference today and handed me a copy of which I put in my pocket and forgot. Fold-down hairbrush. Moleskin notebook. Glasses case. Small Blue Phone. And, inexplicably, one of my daughter Maddy's elasticated hair ties.

Thanks to an interview at: http://www.sequentialtart.com/13quest_1103.shtml