A/N: If Gríma didn't look like a disturbing reptile on crack, I don't suppose this chapter would have happened.
Don't Leave Bags Unattended
Later that night, Gríma prowled in the upper bedrooms of Orthanc tower. He had finished fiddling with Saruman's leather-bound volumes in his study. Lately he had taken to doing nearly imperceptible aggravating things to Saruman, just to see if he'd notice. Just now he had been removing books from the study shelves, taking off their dust covers, and either pairing each dust cover with the wrong book, or turning the dust cover around so it was on the book upside down. He prided himself in the fact that he returned all the books to the shelves so they looked exactly the same as they had before; all the titles faced forward, every book appeared to be right-side up – nothing fishy, certainly. The aggravation that it would cause Saruman to find the upside down books was well worth any risks or tedium involved in the pranks.
Gríma had meddled with other things before, too. Several weeks previous when Saruman had been in his soufflé making frenzy, Gríma had pilfered his monogrammed dishtowels and hidden them in the guest quarters near the top of the tower. He had also been exchanging articles in Saruman's closet with things in Radagast's; surely they would blame each other and a delightful snit would ensue.
Gríma was creeping around Saruman's room trying to think of a way to ruin a pair of Saruman's white robes when he saw the bag on the bed. He approached it carefully, and sat down on Saruman's bed so slowly the mattress didn't even creak. Why, this must be his traveling bag for the camping trip, Gríma thought. And left...curiously alone.
Hunched over, Gríma loosened the drawstring on the bag slowly. When finally the bag fell open, he surveyed the contents: three pairs of white robes, a brush, a comb, four towels, fuzzy slippers, toothbrush, toothpaste, foaming cleanser, pore refining astringent, and a voluminous hard-bound book. It occurred to Gríma that perhaps these were not the most necessary items one would need on a camping trip, but nonetheless, they were the items Saruman planned to bring.
Now, Gríma racked his brains, what on earth could he put in the bag that would be really odd or even alarming to Saruman? He pondered the question with pursed lips.
He knew it! He leapt off the bed and smiled. Well, he would have to go to the dungeon, to Lurtz's old room, to get the bloody thing, but oh, what a pay-off this would have! He stifled a giggle as he walked out of Saruman's room and began his slow trudge down the thousands of stairs toward the dungeon.