chapter 5 part 2

After a short, brisk walk, they stood in front of a gigantic industrial building. Big letters on its wall read: „Livestock-processing-plant Electropolis“
Konrad was the first through the gates.
Seemingly endless herds of animals stood in the courtyard, waiting to be processed. They clustered, stomping and mooing in front of a giant funnel at least 20 meters across. The herd got slowly sucked into it. Oxen, cows, calfs – all vanished in the hundreds, mysteriously sucked into the gleaming opening.
„Why do the humans murder all those poor animals?“ asked the horse.
„Yes, it is a pity“, answered the uncle. „But if you had ever eaten a steak, you would be more tolerant.
Konrad ran along the side of the giant hall. From the machines rose a great din. Ringelhuth and the horse had a hard time catching up with the boy. At last they reached the backside of the plant. Long lines of rail-cars waited there, drawn by big electric engines. From chutes on the back wall of the building the products fell into the cars. Leather suitcases from one, barrels with butter from the next, leather shoes from a third. From other chutes rolled giant cheeses, combs, sausages, cans with milk, violin-strings, cream and so on.
Once the cars were filled, a bell rang. At this signal, the trains rolled forth and new, empty ones took their place under the chutes.
„And no living soul in sight anywhere! Nothing but oxen!“ shouted uncle Ringelhuth over the noise. „Everything electric, automated!“
But just as he had said that, a man came towards them across the yard. He greeted them and said: „It is my shift today. One day every month. Twelve days a year. I control and maintain the machines.“
„Just one question, old chap“, said the horse. „What do you do on the other threehundred-fifty-three days of the year?“
„Oh, this and that“, replied the man happily. „I have a vegetable-patch. I play football and i like to draw. You see, I have problem keeping myself occupied... oh and sometimes, I like to read history-books. It is amazing how complicated people used to live.“
„That's true“, said the uncle. „But from where do you get these huge amounts of electricity you need to run your city?“
„From the Niagara falls“, the man told them. „We unfortunately had unusually strong rainfall the last few weeks. I am quite concerned. The voltage has increased so much that we fear it could blow out some circuits at central distribution. Ah, look, the 4-o'clock-newspaper is just coming in!“
„Where?“, asked Konrad.
The overseer stared into the sky and the others followed his example. And really, in the sky appeared, in white letters on the blue background, the news. „No danger for Electropolis!“ the headline said. A report from the security-council followed. Also there were news about the ongoing diplomatic talks with Mars about a trade-agreement, the latest developments in science and the upcoming radio- and home-cinema-program. The newspaper ended with the serial novel being projected against the sky.
Konrad was just about to start reading the novel, when a sudden, infernal noise erupted from the building. The products fell out of the chutes with increasing speed. It was literally raining shoes, suitcases, butter, milk, cheese and steaks. The cars overflowed. And now bricks, Windowpanes and parts of machines flew out of the chutes!
„Oh now!“, the overseer screamed. „The factory consumes itself!“ And he ran off.
The disaster began when the power-plants at the Niagara falls produced a hundred times as much power as normally due to the flooding. The machines of the livestock-processing-plant ran empty when the last herd was processed. In the end, they ran backwards, sucking all the butter, shoes, cheeses and other products back in. The original animals were spit out of the gates. The oxen, calves and cows stampeded nervously and screaming onto the street and into the city.
The uncle and Konrad had climbed onto the horse. The panicking herds pulled them along. On the streets the moving sidewalks quickened to a sickening speed. The automated cars shot through the lanes like lightning, driving into the houses and raced up the stairs. The electric lamps melted, the artificial gardens bloomed and withered at the same time. On the sky the newspaper for the day after tomorrow appeared.
The horse could no longer cope with all of this. It stood rooted on a driveway, its knees quivering.
„Please excuse me, Mr Caballo!“ cried the uncle and gave the horse a slab on the back with his cane. The animal was so shocked that it forgot his fears and raced through the surrounding pandemonium as if the devil himself was on its tail.
They left the city behind them after endless minutes and were safe.
Looking back, they saw how lifts shot through the roofs of the houses. The roar of the trembling aluminium skyscrapers sounded like war.
Uncle Ringelhuth patted the horse's neck, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: „Paradise is blowing up.“
Konrad took him by the arm. „Don't be sad. When I'm grown up, we shall build a new one!“
And then they rode on. Always straight ahead. Towards the south sea.