An ancient Japanese legend holds that if you make 1,000 cranes, you are granted a wish. Some stories believe you are granted eternal good luck, instead of just one wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. Our wish is: For the highest and best in all things, in all ways, in truth, honesty and love, for patients, families and staff of Vidant of Beaufort County.

Those words graced a card sent to every department at Vidant Beaufort Hospital and outlying medical offices affiliated with the hospital. With each card came a short string of origami figures — brightly colored paper folded into the delicate lines of cranes —serving as an illustration of a larger work. The real work of art is elsewhere.

One thousand cranes hang in the windows of the surgical floor’s 2 East nurses’ station — a beautiful, colorful rainbow of origami. It’s there because the nurses of 2 East were literally the ones behind the curtain of cranes, spending downtime at work, and at home, folding these pieces of paper in the age-old Japanese tradition of origami, to eventually decorate their station, then share the good wishes with other Vidant departments.

“I just wanted to do something fun to try to bring people together. Just do something nice,” said Melissa Swain, a 2 East RN.

Swain spearheaded the project, having taught herself the art of origami from YouTube videos. For years, she’s given her creations as gifts: “for birthdays, weddings, illness, deaths — all sorts of things,” Swain said.

She shared the 1,000-crane project with her coworkers, who took to the measured folding. The end result is a thing of beauty and whimsy: 1,000 cranes strung together and hanging in lines divided by color. It’s a gift the nurses share with everyone who walks through 2 East, patients and staff alike.

“Visually, you can do amazing things with them. … They’re whimsical. I think people enjoy them — it’s nice to have something cheerful in the hospital. … It catches the eye and you’re like, ‘Oh, wow,’” Swain said.

The display has been up for several weeks, and as yet, there’s no scheduled time it will come down. But if the 1,000 cranes do take off for parts unknown, Swain has plans.

“I’ve already got another project in mind,” Swain laughed.