That appears to have fixed the problem! No more disappearing inventory. Thank you so much!
Also, now that I've had time to explore another route, I'm so impressed at just the sheer volume of content in this game. I'm aware that the project was canceled, but it must have taken so much time and effort to put together. I think it will take me a long while to discover all the potential paths and possible secrets, and I've been having such an amazing time. I can't imagine all that you must have gone through up to this point, but I'm very grateful to have been able to stumble across this. This experience was well worth the price and more.
I wish you the best of luck in all that you decide to do!