Attic ladder
The folding ladder that opens into the attic — a small access to the stored upper level of the house.
An attic ladder in a dream is the dream's image of a small access to the upper interior of the house where things are stored that have not been thrown out. The ladder is not regular stairs; you pull it down on the rare occasion you go up. The dream brings the ladder when something in your life — an old memory, a long-stored grief, a piece of personal history — is being accessed by an opening that has not been opened in some time. A ladder lowered and climbed with care is the dream affirming the honest visit to the upper room. A ladder pulled down once and left hanging, unused for weeks, is the dream noting that the access was opened and the actual climb was avoided, and the open hatch is now a small constant reminder.