A story whose stats look totally messed up

[8letters]

It's been published for a week in one of the smaller categories, and it has more views than the #1 story on the 12-months most-read list. It's not on the 30-days or 12-months most-read list.

Search turns up similar statistics:

Even more weird, it has comments from long before it was published:

 

[jaF0]

Second comment from the top 'good to have you back', implies a possible repost ... maybe. Don't stats stay with the original file if that happens?

 

[ToPleaseHim]

That’s what I was thinking, too. If the story was edited, would the initial comments and stats stay?