the canary island pine fell silent again , you could almost hear him reachthough it was more like spreading himselfdown the street and across the many back yards and pools and lawns all the way to where harman-karman still sat , back against the still reluctant oak , staring up over the dark rim of the hedge and into the night sky , not wondering about the stars at all , although they were quite bright and seemed quietly amused by the spectacle on planet earth below .