Everything is exactly what it is.

Here's a weird and horrible story:

There's a horrible accident involving a vanload of college kids. Some are killed. A girl named Whitney is apparently buried. Another girl, "Laura," lies in a coma for weeks. Her family is at her side, praying and caring for her. "Laura" begins to come out of her coma. But she seems confused. Slowly it becomes apparent that "Laura" is actually Whitney, and Whitney's parents actually buried Laura.

So after weeks of bedside vigil, Laura's parents find out their daughter is dead. And after believing their daughter is dead for 4 weeks, Whitney's parents find out she is alive. Some times you eat the bear. Sometimes the bear eats you.

(Not a dream! Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story!)

This begs the question, is this a "happy" ending, a "sad" ending, or a wash? One family loses, one wins. But were the 4 weeks of hope (albeit false) for the family of the girl who died a good thing or a bad thing? Likewise, the girl who lived, it would have been the worst 4 weeks of her parents lives, but then, of course, the happiest.

I guess what we can get out of this is a good story to tell your parents if you want to get a tatoo...