A close encounter with a werewolf in Lower Silesia

We present a comprehensive text account of a close encounter with a strange creature in Lower Silesia in 2008. The audio version of the account was featured in episode 34 of the "Witnesses Speak" podcast. The accompanying illustrations are the author's own.

I was prompted to write this post by the fact that while recently searching for an interesting podcast on the broadly defined paranormal, I came across a series I hadn't heard of before, and I'm very surprised by it. After listening to a few of the stories posted there, I decided it was time to share with a wider audience the story I experienced, which also falls under the category of unexplained events. At the end of summer, at the end of August 2008, at the age of 16, I encountered a Werewolf on a country road, apparently... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Since I currently hold a position where telling such stories is not advisable, and I will also later in this post share my own beliefs on certain matters that are also inappropriate in my profession, I wish to remain completely anonymous. I am a bit older now than I was then, but the passage of time hasn't erased those memories. I am currently well-educated and hold a very responsible job. I consider myself a rather rational person, and certainly not naive or gullible. I always start by looking for a logical explanation for any situation, but in line with my beliefs, I never rule out circumstances that may be beyond our current understanding.

First, I'd like to briefly outline my background at the time of this event. I grew up in a small town in Silesia. I won't reveal the exact location to preserve my anonymity. It's a small village, and the details that appear in this description could easily identify me. The environment in which I grew up, a small, heavily agricultural village inhabited by simple people, mostly immigrants from the eastern borderlands, abounded with reports of many unexplained phenomena. Therefore, from an early age, I had considerable contact, and even practical experience, with such matters. To this day, I believe that all reports of unexplained events speak of factual phenomena that currently elude our understanding, and I consider it absolutely necessary to explore these phenomena and investigate their nature.At 16, I was a rather introverted person, seeking solitude. During this period, I had a number of problems fitting in with people and society in general, primarily due to an almost morbid shyness. During this period, my interests revolved primarily around my current passions, which I cultivate to this day: archery, zoology, nature in general, drawing and graphic arts, history, and, perhaps most importantly, mythology, beliefs, legends, and folktales, with a particular emphasis on the paranormal and cryptozoological. My free time during the holidays, when I wasn't working on my uncle's farm, was usually spent taking solitary walks in the surrounding forests and practicing my air rifle and bow. It was this last activity that brought me that August evening to the place where the whole incident took place.