X is a letter, whose edges are made for scratching is part concert, part reading and revolves around the escapist power of fantasy, cowboys, angels and sound. It employs whistling and harmonicas through golden tongues, an instrument sculpture consisting of three layered harmonica mechanisms and bells. With the air of me whistling, I play its harmonicas to create a kind of polyphony, the bells offer further possibilities of accompaniment. Its text is loosely based on the life of German adventure novelist and impostor Karl May, who started writing Westerns while in prison in the late 19th century. I was particularly drawn to this moment of escaping reality – in his case a literal prison – through writing. Thinking about how sound as a kind of pre-linguistic event is disconnected from its source, I try to imagine listening as a writing practice that could offer a portal to imaginary worlds. Furthermore, the work features leather boots in which I hide the text as one would maybe hide a knife.