N shook his head, digging the knife into the pumpkin to carve out some of the insides, the gushier bits with all of the seeds and gunk.

"I mustn't allow you to give up that quickly. It was a mistake, yes, but one mistake is not the end-all, be-all. You must still persist to achieve your dreams despite your shortcomings."

A pause, and then a jolly laugh. "That, or achieving a carved pumpkin."