Wendy's adventure read by Helena Bonham-Carter

Wendy's adventure is one of six stories created by patients, families and staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital, with the help of writer Sarah Butler. The audio version is narrated by Helena Bonham-Carter.

One day, Wendy the walrus was swimming in the sea, catching her favourite strawberry-red fish, when a beautiful flamingo landed on the shore nearby.

'I am exhausted,’ said the flamingo. 'All this flying around, tires you out.'

Wendy offered her a fish. 'Where have you been?' she asked.

'Where haven't I been?' said the flamingo, gulping down the fish. 'And what haven't I seen? Sandy deserts and racing rivers; tropical islands and jungles filled with butterflies; mountains made out of ice, and rushing white waterfalls.' The flamingo ticked off the sights on the tips of her feather as she spoke. 'It is all terribly tiring, though.'

'Have you been to Norway?' asked Wendy.

'Of course I've been to Norway,' laughed the flamingo. 'Everyone's been to Norway.' She looked at Wendy and hesitated. 'Haven't they?'

'I've never been anywhere,' said Wendy, sadly.

'Never been anywhere?' The flamingo frowned. 'Why ever not?'

Wendy blushed and fidgeted her flippers. 'I'm not brave enough to travel,' she said. 'I'm not good enough to go to Norway.'

'Oh what absolute nonsense!' cried the flamingo.  'I can tell, just by looking at you, that you are brave enough and strong enough and good enough to go anywhere in the world.'

Wendy shook her head, and tried her hardest not to cry. 'It's okay for you,' she sniffed. 'You're beautiful and brave.'

'Don't cry!' exclaimed the flamingo, 'I can't bear it when someone cries.' She offered Wendy a long pink feather to dry her tears. 'Why Norway?' she asked.

'My grandfather lives there,' Wendy said. 'He sends me photos of beautiful snow-capped mountains, and these things called fjords. They're – '

'Yes, yes, narrow strips of water between cliffs, made by glaciers – I know about fjords,' the flamingo said.

Wendy sniffed. 'All my brothers and sisters have been, but I'm not strong or brave or capable enough to go all that way on my own.'

The flamingo folded her wings and stretched her long neck. 'My mother always used to say there's no time like the present,' she said.

'But I can't,' said Wendy, and she dove down into the water, past the bright coral and the spiky rocks. When she came back to the surface, the flamingo was still there.

'I'll go with you part of the way if you'd like,' said the flamingo.

'You'd do that?' Wendy asked.

'Well, I'm terribly busy, and Norway's too cold this time of year for a flamingo, but part of the way, yes, why not? I never say no to an adventure.'

So Wendy and her new friend set off in the direction of Norway. Everything went well until a storm started to blow. It blew and it blew. The rain started to fall, and soon enough it turned to ice and snow. Wendy could hardly see the end of her nose, and it was dreadfully, dreadfully cold. The flamingo rested on Wendy's head and the two of them huddled together. Eventually the storm blew over and the sea was calm again. They could see nothing but clear blue water.

'Mmmm,' said the flamingo.

Wendy bit her lip. 'Are we lost?' she said. 'Oh I knew....'

'Now, don't try and blame yourself for the weather,' said the flamingo. 'In this kind of situation, we need to find a sea bird. They're the best at navigation.'

Wendy wasn't sure what navigation was, but she nodded and looked up at the sky. 'Is that one?' she asked, pointing to a huge white bird.

'Yoooo-hooooooo!!' shouted the flamingo. 'Hellllooooo-hoooooo.'

The white bird flew down towards them. It was bigger than any bird Wendy had ever seen.

'Albatross,' the flamingo whispered, 'They can be a bit grumpy. Just keep smiling.'

It turned out that the albatross wasn't grumpy at all, and knew exactly where Norway was. 'Straight ahead, right at the whirlpool, then right again, then left by the island with the wonky tree, then right by the seal colony, then left at the pointy rock – the big grey one, not the small black one – straight ahead again, you can't miss it,' he said and flew off.

'This is where I leave you, Wendy,' said the flamingo.

Wendy wanted to beg her to stay, but the flamingo had told her what happens to flamingos when they stand in water that's too cold, and so she nodded and waved goodbye to her friend.

'Enjoy Norway!' the flamingo shouted as she left. 'Send me a postcard, and remember, you are brave and strong and good enough to do anything you want to do!'

The flamingo was right. Wendy swam the rest of the way to Norway on her own. The only problem was that once she arrived, she discovered that the shoreline was full of walruses. Hundreds and hundreds of them! I'll never find my grandfather, she thought, and this time she didn't even try not to cry.

Wendy cried and cried, and then, through her tears, she heard a thin serious voice: 'Whatever is the matter with you, little walrus?'

Wendy looked up to see a large eagle standing in front of her. 'I came all the way to Norway to see my grandfather' she said. 'But there are so many walruses here I won't ever be able to find him.' The eagle scratched his head with the tip of his wing. 'What does this grandfather of yours look like?' he asked.

'He looks like a walrus!' Wendy said. 'And he wears glasses and only has one tusk,' she added.

'Well, that's easy then,' said the eagle. 'I have extremely good eyesight, don't you know, I'll find him for you.' He took off and Wendy waited nervously as he flew over the crowds.

'Here he is!' the eagle shouted and pointed. Sure enough, there was West, her grandfather.

'Thank you so much!' said Wendy, 'Is there anything I can do to repay you?'

The eagle scratched his head again. 'The thing is,' he said, 'My children – they're called Cloud and Flash – have grown up and left home and had their own little eaglets, so I'm a grandfather too. I want to go and visit them, and I'm not entirely sure how to get there. You look like a brave and capable walrus, I don't suppose you'd mind coming with me, for at least part of the way?'

Wendy grinned. 'Of course I will,' she said. 'Come and meet my grandfather. I want to see all the sights of Norway, and then I'll happily come with you.'

And would you know, it turned out that the eagle, whose name was Escabar, needed to travel to the very place where Wendy and the rest of her family lived. They had no end of adventures on the way back, and by the time they arrived, Wendy knew that she was strong enough, and brave enough, and good enough, to travel anywhere she wanted to.