Eyyyy, an Inform user! A beast of an engine but an underrated one for sure.

On a technical level I'm pleased to see all the usual shortcuts are working (it drives me up the wall when "x" and "i" don't work in text parser games). The prose is direct, so it's usually quite clear what parts of the scene can be interacted with.

I like the little variations the town street has as well, both with the bell and the locals. Makes it feel more alive - though I did notice some townspeople continuing to show up there when, er, they're not supposed to. With a bit of tweaking, the town square getting emptier over time could be rather eerie. (Also had a sensible chuckle over some of the townsfolk descriptions. Bob the Contractor sure is good at fixing problems!)

Unfortunately I'm also unclear on how to progress. Wisty doesn't seem to have an interest in decorating with anything (or anyone) I bring back to the house, and if there's a suitable verb for using the baking soda and vinegar I can't think of it. Still, it's clear what the escalation of the story was supposed to be and it gave me a good morbid chuckle.

I am stuck and can't progress once I've picked up many items. Are there any tips or tricks you can give me? I think I have to decorate but I have no idea how to do so. Thanks!

Always fun to play with a text adventure! Very charming. I think a list of common commands could be helpful. I had a really hard time getting anyone to speak with me :P. I also found Samatha's Key under Jerome's door mat (The Scandal!)